LOUISVILLE – The Trine University men's volleyball team rolled to its seventh consecutive win this evening by sweeping Spalding University. Trine (15-8, 6-1 MCVL) took the first two sets by close margins before handily securing the sweep in set three over the Golden Eagles (7-9, 1-5 MCVL).
 
Trine hit .291 in the match and won 25-21, 27-25, 25-12. Johnson-Kuhao Ho'okano-Pelekai smashed 14 kills and a pair of Trine's seven aces in the win; the MCVL Player of the Week hit an impressive .391 in the match. Seth McDonald and Karl Both combined for nine blocks as Both added to his program record total.
 
Trine fell behind 10-5 in set one but righted the ship with three kills from Ho'okano-Pelekai and another from McDonald to grab a 12-11 lead. A pair of Spalding errors broke a back-and-forth stalemate and gave Trine momentum. Two more spikes from both Ho'okano-Pelekai and John Mikrut sealed set one for the guests.
 
The Thunder again rallied from a deficit to take the second set, this time needing a few extra serves to do it. Bryce Tupaz had a pair of aces in the set and McDonald a pair of rejections. The Thunder trailed nearly the entire set, leading 3-2 and not again until the final two points. A 5-0 run erased a 22-17 deficit and Zach Mikrut gave the Thunder the lead with a swing and Tupaz aced the hosts to clinch the set.
 
Trine did not trail in set three. A 5-0 lead came from a pair of blocks by Both and another from Ho'okano-Pelekai. Trine managed eight kills in the set but got most of their points from the Golden Eagles who committed 14 errors in the set to contribute to the lopsided decision.
 
Trine can clinch a berth in the MCVL Tournament tomorrow afternoon with a win over Wabash College. The Thunder take on the Little Giants at 1 p.m. in Crawfordsville, Ind.