CHICAGO, Ill. – The Trine University men's volleyball team swept a tri-match at North Park University on Saturday afternoon. They defeated the host Vikings and Maranatha Baptist University in straight sets.
The Thunder are back at .500 with a 9-9 overall record and have extended their winning streak to six consecutive matches. North Park is now 8-7 in 2023 while the Sabrecats of Maranatha Baptist is winless at 0-26.
TRINE vs NORTH PARK RECAP:
Trine had a team hitting percentage of .423 in the match, which is the second-highest mark in a match this season and went error-free in the second set alone. Leading the way for the offense was Ted Hofmeister with 12 kills on 18 total attacks. Kevin Boncaro added 10 kills to his ledger. Sam Bhandal received an assist on 30 Thunder kills. Defensively, Hofmeister was there for nine digs.
Trine led wire-to-wire in the first set thanks to a 6-3 scoring run capped off by a Matt Stillman kill. Bhandal found Hofmeister for a kill to make it 15-10 and force the Vikings to use a timeout. Carter Steffgen tallied an ace that highlighted a 5-2 scoring difference for the Thunder coming out of the break to take a commanding 20-12 advantage. The teams traded points down the stretch in a 25-17 victory in the first for the visitors.
A pair of combined blocks by Stillman and Hofmeister sparked the scoring in the second set for Trine and Johnson-Kuhao Ho'okano-Pelekai served for the team to go up 10-5. The lead would be extended thanks to an offensive attack led by Boncaro with four kills in the second. A 25-14 difference in scoring totaled 11 kills and zero miscues.
North Park took their first set lead in the third and overcame another quick start by the Thunder to go up 10-9. Trine would not remain behind for long with a pair of points coming from Hofmeister and Boncaro. The team eventually claimed a 19-14 edge thanks to block assists by Bhandal and Liam Northrup and pulled away to a 25-20 match-clinching win.
TRINE vs MARANATHA BAPTIST RECAP:
With a different starting lineup, it was the same result for Trine with a 3-0 victory. Play was not as crisp in the second contest of the afternoon, but nonetheless a great opportunity to showcase younger student-athletes. Ho'okano-Pelekai led the team with eight kills while Northrup, Steffgen, Ethan McLenon and Landon Barrow had six apiece.
Nate Unsicker served up an ace to wrap up an 11-5 scoring run to begin the first set. The Sabrecats battled back and got to within two at 15-13, but the Thunder kept their foot on the gas and eventually notched a 25-20 set win.
Trine dominated the second set 25-11 to go ahead two-sets-to-zero. A pair of timeouts could not stop the onslaught from the Thunder as Christian Jones and Unsicker continued to serve up aces. The team had nine overall in the match. Landon Henderson added his name to the ledger with a pair of aces as well to wrap up the second.
The third set was the most competitive of the match as Maranatha Baptist took a few leads early. Down 11-10, a Barrow kill sparked a five-point scoring run while DJ Vinson and Dylan Klumpp added on to make it 20-13 at the second Sabrecat timeout. Facing match point, Maranatha Baptist staved off elimination for four straight points, but ultimately Trine secured the win at 25-22.
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) action is the only thing left on Trine's schedule. The team plays host to Adrian College on Wednesday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
