ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Trine University women's volleyball team completed the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Invitational a perfect 3-0 and have now won five consecutive matches after defeating the host Tigers in straight sets and beating Grove City College 3-1.
The Thunder end the day with a 5-6 overall record. RIT sits at 3-7 after a pair of losses on Saturday and the Wolverines of Grove City are now 11-3.
TRINE vs RIT RECAP:
After a balanced start in set one, Trine would pull ahead 11-6 and 16-8 to force the Tigers to use both timeouts. Cassidy Victor led the hitters with a pair of kills and a block assist early in the match, and three aces off the hand of Anna Zellers helped propel the team in front. RIT clawed their way back to within four at 22-18, but a timeout by the Thunder was just what the doctor ordered to secure the set win, 25-20.
The second set was much more lopsided in favor of Trine, 25-16. Victor continued to dominate on the outside and this time it was Kacie Van Kalker who had success when she went back to serve with three aces in the set. The Thunder had 14 kills and just three errors in the second set win while the Tigers had seven errors to set them back.
RIT would use a quality start in set number three to remain close throughout. The opponents got ahead 5-1, but a pair of blocks featuring Francesca Queary helped trim the gap to 12-11 Tigers. Things were not looking good for Trine down 22-17, but the team would rally and convert 10 of the final 12 points in the set to win 25-23. Madison Dominick and Queary combined for two blocks late in the match to seal the win.
Olivia Jolliffe led the team with 10 total kills and she had four digs to get to the 500 mark for her career. Zellers and Lindsey Call split the setting duties and finished with 17 and 13 assists each. In the back row, Rachel Campbell dug out a team-high 10 opposing attacks. Queary just missed the school record for most block assists in a three-set match with eight credited to the junior middle blocker.
TRINE vs GROVE CITY RECAP:
The Thunder stumbled out of the starting blocks in match two of the day and trailed 6-0 before getting on the board. A kill by Meara Finnegan brought Trine all the way back to 13-11, but six straight by the Wolverines helped put the first out of reach. Grove City would eventually win the first by a score of 25-20.
The second was much improved for the Thunder with Dominick and Finnegan combining for a block to force the Wolverines to call the first timeout this time around. Dominick had a pair of kills later in the set to aid in Trine's 19-12 lead when Grove City took their second timeout. Campbell found Victor for the kill to clinch set two 25-14 and even the match at one.
Another massive scoring run led by Dominick and Victor gave Trine a 17-10 advantage in set number three. An ace by Jolliffe capped a three-point run to secure the set win 25-20. The Thunder had 16 kills and seven errors, just as in the set before, to go up two sets to one.
In the fourth set, Grove City was able to find their groove offensively with a match-high 15 kills, but a timeout called by Trine down 19-16 flipped the momentum. The Thunder would score three in a row to immediately draw even and the Wolverines had to call for time before back-to-back kills by Queary gave Trine the lead, 21-19. Consecutive kills by Dominick would close the fourth and final set of the weekend, 25-23.
Victor led the team with 15 kills in the match, but it was Dominick who broke out for a career-high 14 kills in the victory. Zeller distributed a career-best 28 assists with Call recording 16 assists, her fifth consecutive match in double-figures. 25 digs by Campbell is a career-high for the graduating junior. Dominick (12), Catherine Dobies (11) and Call (10) were all in double figures in digs.
Trine will compete in the Manchester Invitational on Friday, September 22 for their next set of matches.