WITTENERG, Ohio – The 10-match win streak for the Trine University men's volleyball team was snapped on Friday evening when the Thunder faced Wittenberg University in Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) action. Trine played all four sets close with the Tigers, but came up short 3-1.
Defensively, junior libero Hunter Haas recorded 25 digs, which is a new career-high and school record for most digs in a single match. The team had 67 total digs, which just missed the mark for most digs in a four-set match in program history.
The Thunder are still in contention for an MCVL regular season crown with a record of 13-10 overall and 4-1 in league play. Wittenberg is now 17-9 in 2023 and 6-1 inside the MCVL.
Each of the first two sets saw the teams require extra points to put away their opponent. The Tigers were able to get out in front with a 27-25 set one victory. Sam Buckingham and Sam Bhandal combined for a block to make it 20-17 in favor of Trine, but four straight points were recorded by the opponents to draw a timeout. A pair of kills by Kevin Boncaro and another from Johnson-Kuhao Ho'okano-Pelekai knotted the set up at 24 all, but three of the final four points in the set went to the home squad.
The Thunder got out to an early lead in the second set to tie the match up at 1-1. An ace by Carter Steffgen helped put Trine in front 12-9 and force Wittenberg to utilize a timeout. The break was effective for the Tigers to retake the lead, but a string of three points capped off by a kill off the hand of Ted Hofmeister made the score 23-21. The teams traded scoring runs to keep the set alive and with their backs against the wall down 26-25, the Thunder rattled off three straight to win 28-26.
Wittenberg had their best hitting percentage of the night in the third set en route to a 25-20 set win, the largest margin of victory in the match for either side. Trine looked to their freshman in Ho'okano-Pelekai early and often in the set, but the Tigers opened up a 13-9 lead to force a timeout. The Thunder drew to within one on four separate occasions, including 21-20, but the final four points of the third belonged to Wittenberg.
Once again playing with their backs against the wall, Trine continued to battle and claimed an early lead at 8-4 thanks to a block from Buckingham and Hofmeister. The home team would inch their way back into it and eventually get out in front 14-13. The Tigers continued to push the pace and were up 24-21 when the Thunder took their final timeout of the set. Another block by Buckingham and Hofmeister got Trine back to within one at 24-23, but a timeout led to a service error that ended the set at 25-23 and the match at 3-1.
Going along with the defense by Haas, Hofmeister and Boncaro each tallied 10 digs as well. The Thunder had 10 total blocks, with Matt Stillman credited with five assists and one solo. Boncaro paced the offense with a team-high 17 kills. Ho'okano-Pelekai added 12 and made it his third straight match with double-digit kills. Bhandal distributed 40 of the team's 46 assists.
Trine looks to bounce back against Mount St. Joseph University on Saturday, April 1 in a conference affair that begins at 1 p.m.
