ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's volleyball team rattled off their eighth consecutive victory on Tuesday in straight sets over Bethany College. The Thunder (11-4) hit .294 against the Bison (0-19) in their first year as a program. 15 players for Trine were able to get court time in the win.
Set one was the best hitting set of the night at .474 with ten kills and just one error. A pair of aces by Johnson-Kuhao Ho'okano-Pelekai helped get the team out to a 10-2 advantage. Kyle Seier and Ethan McLenon scored points to extend the lead to 16-4 and an ace by McLenon put the set to rest at 25-11.
The second set was the most competitive between the two teams, with the final score reading 25-20. Early blocks by Liam Northrup, Landon Barrow and Seth McDonald put Trine ahead 12-6, but Bethany got back to within two at 14-12. Jacob Seier and Nathan Rebhorn helped to give the Thunder some breathing room at 19-14 en route to the set win.
Consecutive aces by Rebhorn got Trine started on the right foot in set number three and the lead would reach as many as 11 at 21-10 thanks to an ace by McLenon. Mehm Mon found Andrew Guillaume for the match clinching point at 25-16.
Rebhorn led the way on offense with seven kills while McDonald had 15 assists. In total, the team had ten aces, three coming off the hand of McLenon. Hunter Haas dug out a team-high seven opposing attacks while Barrow had three blocks (two solo).
The Thunder return to Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) play on Friday, March 15 when the team travels to Fontbonne University to face the Griffins at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST).