DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Trine University women's volleyball team (2-6) made quick work of the Defiance College Yellow Jackets (0-8) Tuesday evening with a three-set victory to secure the first true road win of the year.
Both teams had their best offensive sets of the match in the first with Trine hitting .370 with 20 kills and three errors and Defiance .283 with 14 kills and one error. Catherine Dobies and Madison Dominick were the catalysts early with two kills each as the teams went back-and-forth in scoring. Neither team got ahead by more than two points before a three-point swing in favor of the visiting Thunder. Cassidy Victor had a kill, followed by an Olivia Jolliffe ace, and another kill by Dobies to make it 16-13 Trine.
The Yellow Jackets countered with a scoring run of their own to take a 19-18 advantage that forced the Thunder and head coach Jamie Wozniak into a timeout. The break would be effective as Trine would get back in front and find themselves on the brink of the set win at 24-22 on an ace by Dominick. Defiance would force extra points, but consecutive scores by Jolliffe and Dobies gave the Thunder set one by a score of 26-24.
Trine took advantage of a negative hitting percentage by their opponents on their way to a 25-21 set two win. The Thunder went up 7-3 early in the set, but Defiance would creep back into it and tie the second set back up at eight all. Anna Zellers, Meara Finnegan and Anna Loughrey all had points mid-set to help Trine take their largest lead of the set at 22-16. The Thunder would stave off a late comeback effort by the Yellow Jackets to get to the score of 25-21.
The Thunder would suck the air out of the gym early in the third set by scoring the first six points, capped off by a solo block from Victor. A timeout by Defiance would do little to stop the bleeding as Trine would claim a 12-3 lead, with four points coming from Queary during the run. An ace by Rachel Campbell later on would help the team to hold off their opponents at 19-11.
Trine called a timeout late as the Yellow Jackets were pesky and cut the lead down to three at 21-18, however the combination of Queary and Cara Wlodarcyk helped to put the match to bed with a 25-21 set three victory.
The team's .238 kill percentage is a season-high with Dobies leading the way with 15. Zellers recorded 23 assists, a new career best for the sophomore. Campbell was the only one in double figures in digs with 13, however Queary was credited with a career-high nine. She would also lead the team by being involved in four blocks (one solo).
The Thunder will travel to New York over the weekend to compete in the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Invitational. The first match will be played at St. John Fisher on Friday, September 15 against Oswego State University at 5 p.m.