ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's volleyball team conquered the Belles from Saint Mary's College on Friday by a score of 3-0 in a non-conference match.
The Thunder women's volleyball program started Breast Cancer Awareness month with a Pink Out match, as both teams and fans were encouraged to wear pink.
Through 20 games, the Thunder have a record of 11-9 overall and are still perfect at 2-0 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Saint Mary's sits at 5-9 and 1-2 in conference action.
Anna Loughrey [West Bloomfield, Mich. / Walled Lake Central], Hannah Sands [Jonesville, Mich. / Jonesville] and Jocelynn Nicholls [Montgomery, Mich. / Camden-Frontier] recorded three consecutive kills for Trine at the beginning of the first set to allow the Thunder to gain early momentum. The Belles held a 10-7 lead, but from there Trine would take over the first set with a commanding 14-4 scoring spree.
Another three-kill run, this time by Olivia Jolliffe [Warren, Mich. / Cousino], Loughrey and Sands, forced Saint Mary's into a timeout, but to no avail. The Thunder held off the Belles late to take the first set 25-22.
Jolliffe and Rachel Campbell [Greenfield, Ind. / Greenfield Central] notched service aces early in the second, with the Thunder jumping out to a 9-4 lead. Back-to-back kills from Jolliffe and Jacqueline Baughman [Lake Orion, Mich. / Lutheran Northwest] forced Saint Mary's into their second timeout of the set, down 20-14. A service error followed by the second ace of the match for Jolliffe ended the frame at 25-17.
Three straight Trine points were credited to Mikaila Sullivan [Terre Haute, Ind. / Terre Haute South Vigo] to begin the third set as the Thunder flexed their muscles offensively. Kailee Cornell [Lafayette, Ind. / McCutcheon] had consecutive aces in the middle stages of the set to give the Trine a four-point advantage, 9-5.
Madison Dominick [Swartz Creek, Mich. / Swartz Creek] entered the game late and had a kill on her only attack attempt to make it 19-9. The Belles clawed their way back to get to within four, but a timeout by head coach Jamie Wozniak put an end to the comeback effort from Saint Mary's as the Thunder completed the sweep 25-20 in the final set.
Baughman assisted on 33 of the team's 41 kills, with Jolliffe and Loughrey in double figures at 12 and 11. Samantha Carlin [Celina, Ohio / Celina] had a team-high 18 digs.
On Saturday, October 2, the Thunder travel to northwest Ohio to compete in a tri-match with Transylvania and the host institution, Bluffton. Those matches will begin at 3 and 5 pm.