ANGOLA, Ind.-- Trine swept Adrian 26-24, 25-23, 25-22 in a tightly-contested MIAA match Friday night in Hershey Hall.
The Thunder effort on the defensive side of the net was the difference as Trine held the Bulldogs to a -.033 hitting percentage. The Thunder totaled nine blocks and had three players total 10 or more digs. Megan Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) made an impact in nearly every facet of the game as she totaled eight kills, 13 assists, 10 digs and five blocks. Cassadine Reed led Adrian with eight kills.
The victory improved Trine to 9-11 overall and 5-4 in the MIAA. Adrian fell to 9-9 overall, 4-5 in conference matches. The win gives the Thunder the season sweep over the Bulldogs. Trine would win any tiebreak scenario with Adrian for MIAA playoff seeding by virtue of the sweep.
Emma Bowman (Corvallis, Ore./St. Joseph) led the block party at the net for the Thunder, totaling eight blocks (one solo). Mikayla Carpenter (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) notched 13 digs to pace the defensive effort from the back row.
Jordan Brisson added six kills for the Bulldogs. Trine was able to hold Adrian's leading hitter, Olivia Welch, to just three kills. Welch entered the match averaging 3.27 kills per set.
The Bulldogs rallied back from down three late in the first set to tie the score at 24-24 and extend the match. A kill by Bowman and a bad set give the Thunder the victory in the first set. Trine notched four blocks in the opening set.
Trine raced out to a 12-5 lead in the second set, but Adrian fought back to keep the match tight into the closing stretch. Bowman and Verkamp combined on a block to break the 23-23 tie, with Verkamp putting away the set-clinching kill.
The Thunder closed the final set on a 3-0 run to clinch the match victory. Shannon Scott (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) put away a kill and a Bulldog attack error sent the game to match point. Carpenter clinched the victory with an ace.
Trine will face Saint Mary's in another key matchup tomorrow at 11 a.m. The Thunder hold a one-game lead on the Belles in the race for an MIAA playoff berth.