ALBION, Mich. – The scoring in the middle that was so easy for Albion College early evaporated, but the Britons hung on to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Trine University 25-19, 25-13, 19-25, 24-26, 15-9 Friday night.
It was Albion's first win over Trine since Nov. 3, 2009 and it moved the Britons to 2-3 against MIAA rivals heading into a Saturday match at Adrian College.
Stephanie Thurner terminated a point and she joined Jessica Konieczny on a block as Albion went on a five-point scoring binge to start the night. Thurner and Konieczny each added kills as the Britons maintained a 7-2 lead. Konieczny, Lauren Outwater and Taylor Rosenthal all produced kills and Monica Shuk served an ace as Albion pulled away for a 20-16 lead. Halle Thom terminated the last two points as Albion took the early lead in the match.
Five attack errors helped Albion sprint out to a 7-1 lead in the second set.
"The offense clicked right away," Albion Coach Kristin de St. Aubin said. "The middles ran great and we backed it up with great blocking. We took advantage of early opportunities to score."
Trine reeled off a four-point run and a pair of three-point rallies to pull away in the third set. Taylor Rabel, who finished the night with 12 kills along with Janaya Wilder, started to assert herself offensively and the Britons were forced to adjust.
"We had to remind ourselves about the importance of each rally to eliminate those scoring runs," de St. Aubin said. "We took care of those short tip scores in the fifth set."
Trine managed six kills in the fifth set, compared to eight for Albion. Rosenthal, just a first-year hitter for the Britons, ignited a five-point rally by terminating consecutive points. She led all players with 13 kills while hitting .345 for the night.
Thurner finished with 12 kills and three block assists, while Outwater collected 10 kills and 11 digs. Konieczny's stat line included seven kills and seven block assists.
"We have kids who can score from any position on the court and setter Ami Milligan (who dished out 43 assists) has done a good job for us," de St. Aubin said.
