ALMA, Mich. - It was a tough trip up north for the Trine University volleyball team as they dropped three close sets to Alma College 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-22). The Thunder are now 9-9 on the season and 4-4 in the MIAA dropping them into a tie for fourth with St. Mary's.

Game one saw Trine take the early lead as Alma pulled even and eventually into the lead midway through the set. Four consecutive points by the Scots gave them a lead that the Thunder were unable to come back from. Trine got as close as a point down but were unable to put together a rally to overtake the lead.

The second set was a true back-and-forth match that saw five lead changes and 13 tie scores. With the score tied late a 19-19, the Scots would score four straight points to take the lead and the game.

The final set saw the Scots take the early lead with the Thunder mounting a comeback. Trine was able to take the lead at 11-10 but it was another run of five consecutive points by Alma that put the game out of reach.

Offensively it was a tough night for the Thunder at they hit just .062 for the game as Trine had 31 kills compared to 24 errors.

Leading the way for Trine was freshman Melanie Troyer (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) with nine kills while adding in 11 digs and two blocks. Senior Julie Kooienga (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton) added in seven kills. Fellow senior Betsy Irwin (Athens, Ohio/Alexander) had six kills to go along with a game-high four blocks, all assists. Another freshman, Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) had five kills with a game-high 16 digs.

Junior Sarah Radekin (Athens, Ohio/Alexander) led the team with 23 assists on the night. Defensively, sophomore libero Darcy Crabtree (Gaston, Ind./Wes-Del) had 10 digs.

Trine and Alma will go right back at it as the Scots travel to Angola for a match on October 4 at 6:30 p.m.