ALLIANCE, Ohio-- The Trine volleyball team split a pair of four-set matches, picking up the victory over Westminster and falling to no. 14 Mount Union to open the season Friday night at the Mount Union Invitational.
The Thunder took the first match of the night 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20 before the Purple Raiders took the nightcap 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21. Megan Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) led a balanced attack with a team-high 20 kills on the evening. Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) added 17 kills, notched a double-double and moved into second-place in team history in service aces with 144 in her career. Six different Trine players recorded 10 or more kills on the evening despite the team playing without two regular starters. Trine opens the season 1-1.
Trine 3, Westminster 1
The Thunder took the first two sets, dropped the third and fought back with a strong close to the final set to earn the victory.
A strong defensive effort saw Trine limit the Titans to an .042 hitting percentage. The Thunder notched 43 digs as a team, paced by Mikayla Carpenter (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) with 10.
Megan Verkamp contributed a solid all-around effort with 10 kills to go along with eight digs. Freshman Janaya Wilder (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont) contributed to both the offensive and defensive efforts with eight kills to go along with nine digs. Emma Bowman (Corvallis, Ore./Saint Joseph) added a career-high six kills and notched three solo blocks.
The match saw seven Trine players make their varsity debuts. Those players combined for 18 kills, 26 assists, 17 digs and three service aces.
Lexie Yoho paced Westminster with nine kills. The Titans hit .316 in the third set to get back in the match and held a 17-14 lead in the fourth set. Trine was able to respond with an 11-3 run to close out the match.
No. 14 Mount Union 3, Trine 1
The two teams split the first two sets, but the Purple Raiders were able to pull away in the final two sets to earn the victory.
Mount Union hit .314 in the first set to pace the victory, though the Thunder was able to hold the Purple Raiders to no better than an .073 percentage in any set the rest of the night. Trine responded by hitting a .258 clip in the second set, but couldn't manage any better than .069 the rest of the match.
Lauren Verkamp notched a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs to lead Trine. Samantha Ihrie (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) added a career-high 22 assists and 11 digs. Megan Verkamp also notched 10 kills.
Morgan Harris (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville) led a strong performance for the Trine freshman class with nine kills. Wilder added eight kills and seven digs, while Shannon Scott (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) contributed six kills.
Mount Union notched 11 service aces, paced by Allison Baird's five aces. A balanced Purple Raider attack produced six players with five or more kills. Caitlin Synek notched nine kills to lead the way.
Trine concludes its performance in the Mount Union Invitational with matches against Bethany (W.V.) and Grove City tomorrow.
