ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University men's volleyball team was defeated by Fontbonne (Mo.) University, 3-0, in a Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League match at Hershey Hall in Angola, Ind.
Trine (3-9, 0-2 MCVL) looked to be headed to an early victory with a seven-point lead in the first set, 14-7, after an attack error by Fontbonne (3-10, 1-0 MCVL). The Griffins then outscored the Thunder, 5-1, to get to within three points by a margin of 15-12. Trine then got three straight points to gain some breathing room with a six-point advantage, 18-12, thanks to a kill by freshman Parker Beale (Noblesville, Ind./Fishers) and back-to-back errors by Fontbonne. The Griffins then made another rally and got to within two points on their way to eventually tying the score at 24-24. Both teams went back-and-forth during the next few points each squad reaching "match point" opportunities. With the score even at 25-25, Fontbonne connected on a pair of kills to complete the comeback and take a 1-0 match lead following a 27-25 victory in set one.
The score remained close between the two teams early in the second set, but Fontbonne started to take control with consecutive points with the score deadlocked at 7-7 and later worked its way out to a four-point lead, 12-8. The visitors went on to lead by as many as six points multiple times, including a final score of 25-19 to take command of the match leading two games to none.
In the third set, Trine freshman Chris Dargan (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) recorded a kill that tied the score at 6-6 when two straight points by the Griffins gave Fontbonne enough momentum to gradually begin to pull away. Fontbonne's offense quickly increased the margin to five points en route to posting its first double-digit lead with a score of 23-13. The Griffins led by as many as 11 points on two occasions which included the final score of 25-14 to give Fontbonne the 3-0 sweep.
Sophomore Kyle Dixon (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Twp.) led Trine in kills with 10 and was followed by Beale with seven kills. Dargan rounded out the top three with five kills and ahd a .273 attack percentage. Senior Hunter Monday (Beech Grove, Ind./Lutheran) had 27 of the team's 28 assists.
Defensively, sophomore Eric Santiago-Garcia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Glen Ridge) had a match-high 13 digs and was followed by freshman Dominic Saenz (Wall Twp., N.J./Wall) with five digs. Dargan led all players in blocks with four (four assists) and Beale was second with three blocks (three assists).
Trine returns to the court tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 22) when it hosts Mount St. Joseph University in a MCVL matchup. The two teams are set to square off at 11 a.m. at Hershey Hall.
