SANDUSKY, Ohio – The Trine University women's volleyball team fell to 0-4 on the season with a pair of losses on Saturday in the Great Lakes Crossover event at Cedar Point. Trine dropped their first match of the day to Bethany College (3-1) three-sets-to-one and a five-set match against Allegheny College (2-2).
TRINE vs BETHANY RECAP:
The Thunder secured their first set win of the 2023 season bright and early on Saturday with a 25-20 triumph in the first set against the Bison. Trine had their best hitting percentage of the match at .323 with 13 kills and three errors. Neither team was able to gain a sizable advantage, but a four-point swing in favor of the Thunder gave them the lead at 18-15 and from there, they would not lose control. Trine would also score the final four points in the 25-20 win.
Bethany would go on a scoring run early in set number two and doubled the Thunder output, 10-5. A scoring attack led by Francesca Queary, Cassidy Victor and Catherine Dobies brought Trine back to within two at 15-13, but once again Bethany was able to extend their lead with six consecutive points en route to the 25-17 win to draw even.
The Bison were able to do more of the same in the third set to go up 2-1 overall in the match. An 8-2 run mid-set put it out of reach for the Thunder at 18-10 and eventually finished up at 25-14. After an ugly third, the fourth was more successful for the Trine offense as Olivia Jolliffe, Meara Finnegan and Anna Loughrey all secured kills to force Bethany into a timeout at 15-13 Thunder. The teams never got more than two points apart the rest of the way and Trine forced extra points, but ultimately fell 26-24.
Jolliffe paced the offense with 11 kills with Anna Zellers and Lindsey Call splitting time at setter for 20 and 15 assists. Jordan Budzinski led the back row with 11 digs.
TRINE vs ALLEGHENY RECAP:
The first two sets in the team's final match of the Great Lakes Crossover were tumultuous as the Thunder fell behind 2-0 thanks to 25-18 and 25-21 losses. An 8-1 scoring run for Gators allowed them to claim a 16-11 edge and remained in front for the duration of the set. Thanks to the help of some errors by Allegheny, Trine took a 7-3 lead in the second and three aces by Budzinski put the squad up 13-9, but the Thunder were unable to match the Gators late in the second.
The third set would finally be the one where Trine broke through to avoid the sweep and it would lead to a wave of momentum for two in a row. Queary and Madison Dominick led the charge on offense for the Thunder in the third set. Zellers found Dominick for back-to-back kills late in the 25-19 set win for Trine.
A Loughrey kill at the 11-3 mark in set number four forced a timeout by their opponents. The break was relatively ineffective as the Thunder continued to pour it on with the best offensive performance of the match. A .423 hitting percentage with 15 kills and four errors highlighted the day for the team. They would go on to win the fourth in déjà vu fashion, 25-19.
The winner-take-all fifth set started slow for Trine down 5-1. After a timeout called by head coach Jamie Wozniak, the Thunder stormed back and forced Allegheny into a timeout at 6-5 Gators. A run by Allegheny made the score 11-7 and with their backs against the wall, Trine made the call for their final timeout. The Thunder were unable to complete the comeback and were defeated 15-10 in the fifth.
Jolliffe (16) and Dobies (12) were in double-figures for kills, but Dominick had the highest kill percentage in the match at .417 with eight kills on her resume. Zellers and Call were even in assists with 20. Budzinski led the team with 20 digs, but Dobies completed a double-double with 12 digs as well. Loughrey was credited with three solo blocks and was a part of all five for the team in the match.
Up next for the Thunder is the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association/North Coast Athletic Conference (MIAA/NCAC) Crossover event at DePauw University on Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9.