SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – For the first time in program history, the Trine University men's volleyball team won the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) Tournament Championship and have clinched the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 win at Wittenberg University.
The Thunder will see where they are slotted on the bracket on Monday, April 15 at 10 a.m. The win means that Trine enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 19-6. The senior class consisting of Hunter Haas, Nick Woolley, Ted Hofmeister, Matt Stillman and Landon Barrow will see their careers continue for at least one more match.
"These five [seniors] have been awesome," Head Coach Will Dowdy mentioned post-match. "They've grown with the program and had to learn quickly as freshmen. It's great having that leadership, they are well respected in the program, and they've continued to fight."
Post-match awards included Haas, Woolley and Kevin Boncaro listed as All-Tournament Team representatives and Haas named the MCVL Tournament MVP.
The Thunder hit .285 in the match compared to just .141 for Wittenberg. Boncaro led the team with 14 kills and Hofmeister added 12. The trio of Haas (18), Hofmeister (10) and Boncaro (10) had double figure dig numbers to help the team total 62 in the four-set match.
A strong finish to the first set allowed Trine to go up 1-0 with a 25-19 win. Stillman and Hofmeister combined for a block to polish off a 13-4 run to conclude the frame. The Tigers had a negative hitting percentage in the first.
The final result was the same in the second, 25-19 in favor of the Thunder. Stillman made his presence known at the net early in the set to put the team in front 10-6, but it was a slow burn late that allowed Trine to pull away. The team had 15 kills to four errors.
An efficient third set for Wittenberg kept them alive in the match. The Tigers claimed the third set by a score of 25-20 with 18 kills credited to Wittenberg. The Thunder were not deterred however, and bounced back in the fourth set to secure the victory. Trine was up by as many as 13-4 in the set, but had to fight off a late rally from their opponents. The Tigers got to within one at 21-20, but four of the final five points went to the Thunder to take the set and the match, 25-21.
