PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Trine University men's volleyball team was defeated in three sets at St. John Fisher University on Friday night. Despite the loss, sophomore Kevin Boncaro had 18 of the team's 31 kills on the evening. It is the second-most kills by an individual in a three-set match in program history. The number five-ranked Cardinals are now 10-3 in the 2023 season, while Trine stumbles to 1-6.
After falling behind 5-2 early in the first set, a 6-0 scoring run for the Thunder put them in front 8-5. Boncaro, Ted Hofmeister, Matt Stillman and Johnson-Kuhao Ho'okano-Pelekai had points in that span. Blocks by Stillman and Dominic Saenz later in the first kept Trine in front at 15-13, but from there St. John Fisher would take control. An ace by Sam Bhandal brought the Thunder back to within one at 22-21, but the Cardinals would keep the lead in a 25-22 set victory.
Kills by Hofmeister and Boncaro to start the second looked as though it would be a positive sign, but after that the Cardinals got in front. Down as many as 14-9 in the set, a combo block by Stillman and Saenz tied the second up at 15. The score remained even at 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 before a timeout by head coach Will Dowdy in an attempt to spark the defense. The Thunder were able to force an extra point out of #5 St. John Fisher, but unfortunately the Cardinals went up 2-0 with a 26-24 set win.
The third set would be the most unbalanced of the night, with St. John Fisher pulling away to a 25-19 victory. A .294 opponent hitting percentage helped fuel early success for the Cardinals as the home team went up 11-5. The deficit continued to grow for Trine at 16-7 at the second timeout called. The team would feed Boncaro repeatedly for offense late in the going, but it was not enough.
Along with Boncaro's 18 kills, Hofmeister recorded five and Ho'okano-Pelekai four. Bhandal registered a team-high 19 assists in the match. Hunter Haas was in the right place at the right time for 11 digs as he closes in on the 500-mark for his career.
Saturday, February 11 completes the team's trip to New York with two matches, the first coming at #9 Nazareth College beginning at 10 a.m.
