ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's volleyball team won their second consecutive match on Saturday by defeating the Saint Mary's College Belles in three sets. Sophomore Catherine Dobies led the way, especially on the defensive end, with a career-high 19 digs. On the offensive side of the ball, Trine hit .286 in the match, a season-high.
The win pushes the Thunder record to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. Saint Mary's drops to 3-13 on the season and are still searching for their first conference victory at 0-4.
Kailee Cornell found Francesca Queary early in the match to give Trine a 6-1 advantage, but six straight points by the Belles forced head coach Jamie Wozniak to use a timeout at 9-9. It would have positive effects for the team as eight of the next 11 points went to the home team to go up 17-12. A pair of block assists by Jocelynn Nicholls on the final two points of the first wrapped up a 25-17 set one victory. Olivia Jolliffe and Madison Dominick were in on the blocks as well.
The Thunder hit .429 in set two with 16 kills, a match-high in both categories. Meara Finnegan chimed in offensively with two kills and an ace as the team took a slight lead. Cassidy Victor and Dominick helped to stave off a scoring run by Saint Mary's mid-set to claim an 18-14 edge. Victor and Finnegan combined for a block at the 23-21 mark that resulted in a timeout called by the Belles, and Joslynn Battle set up Finnegan for the match-sealing score, 25-23.
Jolliffe put Trine ahead 8-2 in the third set, and the team would maintain that pace throughout the eventual final frame. Saint Mary's got to within one point at 13-12, but seven of the next eight points went to the Thunder, including a service ace by Bethany Ulring. Jolliffe was credited with an ace to finish the match at 25-17.
In total, Trine recorded 11 blocks, compared to just three for Saint Mary's. Jolliffe had a Thunder-best five block assists and Nicholls chipped in on four blocks. Victor was the leader of the offense with 12 kills and Dobies had kills on 10 of her 18 attacks. Cornell distributed 20 assists, while Dobies (19) and Kacie Van Kalker (10) each had double-digit digs.
Trine will battle Hope College at home for their next MIAA match on Wednesday, October 12 beginning at 6:30 pm.
