BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Trine University volleyball team will enter Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play on a high note following tonight's 3-0 sweep of the Bluffton University Beavers inside the Sommer Center.
Julia Maggio pounded a dozen kills without an error for the Thunder (7-8) and added five of Trine's 13 aces.
Trine took the win 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 and hit .257 for the match.
Elli Baker had 13 kills and
Cali Stevons dished out 24 assists and four aces.
The Thunder got right to work, taking a 4-0 lead in set one only to be countered with an 11-2 rally. Trailing early the Thunder got right back to work, turning to their senior outside hitter. Maggio found the floor four times on offense and then three more times from the service line as a personal 7-1 run regained the lead for the guests. Baker added two more kills and Maggio added her fifth to claim set one for Trine.
The Thunder broke a stalemate in the second set with a 10-2 run backed by a pair of aces and a pair of blocks. The run provided Trine an 18-11 lead they would hold for the remainder of the set and begin to crumble the Beavers' dam.
Bluffton stood tall in the third set and held a 20-19 lead, but the dam burst with a block from
Addyson Kuzma and
Reese Steenwyk. Trine scored four of the final five points to secure the sweep and take the win.
The Thunder open conference play on Saturday at 5 p.m. with a date with the Hope College Flying Dutch. The Dutch are receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll.
