GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Trine University women's volleyball team started off the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Associaton (MIAA) Preview Tournament with a win against St. Mary's and a loss against first-ranked Calvin.
The Thunder began the day by taking on St. Mary's in a neutral site contest. Trine would take the first two sets safely by the scores of 25-22 and 25-21 to take a commanding two-set lead. The Belles found life in the third set winning 25-20 before the Thunder finished off the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth, winning by the score of 3-1.
Sophomore Madison Munger (Indianapolis / Franklin Central) continued her blazing hot start leading the way for the Thunder with 17 kills in the contest. She finished the match with a .250 hitting percentage, second-best among Trine attackers in the contest, 13 digs and four blocking assists.
Freshman Kendra Nicley (Lebanon / Western Boone) finished just short of double-digit kills with nine and led the team with a .296 hitting percentage. Senior Raven Hood (Monroe, Mich. / Airport) led the way with 18 assists and sophomore Sarah Toles (Kendallville / East Noble) finished with eight blocking assists, tieing her career high.
In the second match of the day, Trine ran into national-first-ranked Calvin. The Knights led the first set from beginning to end, but the Thunder made it close scoring four straight points to pull within one at 16-15. Calvin would pull away slightly, winning 25-21.
In the second set, Trine would come out strong trading points to a 5-5 tie before scoring four straight to take the early 8-5 lead. They would continue to trade points until they once again took the lead at 17-15 when Calvin would pull ahead and take the set 25-20. The Knights would finish off the sweep taking the final set 25-16.
Toles led the way offensively for the Thunder in the match, finishing with eight kills and a .211 hitting percentage. Sophomore Lindsey DeCamp (New Haven / New Haven) finished both matches with 22 digs.
Following the split Trine finishes the day with a 3-3 overall record. They will continue MIAA Preview Tournament play tomorrow, Sept. 8 beginning at 11 a.m. with matches against Olivet and Alma.
