Wheaton, Ill. - Wheaton Volleyball opened their 2021 season on Wednesday night by hosting a tri-match at King Arena featuring the Calvin University Knights and the Trine University Thunder. Calvin came into this event as the only team featured in the preseason national rankings, currently sitting at #3 in the AVCA Coaches poll.
The first matchup of the night featured Wheaton facing off against Calvin, and despite a spirited start from the Thunder, Calvin eventually wore down their hosts and cruised to a 3-0 victory. The first set saw the Knights jump out to an early 11-3 lead before Wheaton fought their way back to make it 10-15 in the middle of the set. Then Calvin hit the afterburners and pulled away for a 25-17 win. The second set proved to be the most competitive of the match, with the Knights having to survive a late rally by Wheaton to secure a 25-19 win. In the third and final set, Wheaton was never able to get back within striking distance after Calvin built an early 5-1 advantage. It finished 25-9, as the Knights played up to their high preseason potential. The Thunder only led Calvin for three points all afternoon - the opening point of each set.
Statistical standouts for Wheaton in the first match included
Audrey Gerze, who posted a team-high seven kills, and
Abby Boss, who led the way with 11 assists.
Allie High contributed 14 digs, the most of any Thunder player.
On Calvin's side, Heidi Westra achieved a game-high nine kills. Anna Schriemer had an impressive 28 assists, and Aubrey Wrubel claimed a team-high 10 digs. Gabriella Kellogg boasted the highest hitting percentage of any Calvin player (min. five attacks) with a solid .375 mark.
The Knights turned right around to beat Trine by the same scoreline in the second match of the evening to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
In the final matchup of the season-opening tri-match, Wheaton played host to Trine, and this was more of a roller-coaster affair than both teams' first match. The two teams traded blows to begin the first set, with the score being tied 10-10. At this point,
Allie High took over service duties for Wheaton, and the Thunder never looked back. While Trine did come back to tie the first set at 15 apiece, Wheaton had the momentum and used their home court advantage to overwhelm the Thunder and eventually claimed the first set by a score of 25-19. The aforementioned High had three service aces,
Sofia Pluhar added six assists,
Naomi Bunker made three powerful kills, and
Briley Brogan led the way hitting .500 in the first set.
The second set saw Trine level things back up at one set each, but it was a moral victory for the hosts. After falling behind 11-4 early, Wheaton nearly erased the deficit to get within two points late on in the set, before Trine mustered the strength to hold them off and take set two 25-20. Olivia Jolliffe posted a team-high .667 hitting percentage for Trine in the second set, while Jacqueline Baughman chipped in with seven assists. Brogan and Bunker each hit .667 from the floor for Wheaton in this set.
The third set was a dominant one from the hosts as Wheaton got out to a 10-4 lead on the back of a strong service game from
Sofia Pluhar and
Colleen Smith. From that point on, Trine never got within five points of Wheaton, and the hosting Thunder sailed to a 25-15 third set victory.
Caroline Capps hot 1.000 off of four attacks, Brogan added four kills as well, and Pluhar contributed five assists, three digs, and an ace for good measure.
In the final set of an extended day of volleyball action inside King Arena, Wheaton saved their best for last as they took the fourth set by a convincing 25-14 mark.
Colleen Smith started things off with a string of successful serves to help the Thunder build a 5-0 advantage, and there was no looking back for the hosts from that point on. They quickly extended their lead to 11-3 and 20-12 before closing things out with very little fuss. It was a spirited performance from Trine who mounted multiple mini-runs in an attempt to force a fifth set, but as the night wore on, Wheaton found their groove and put a ribbon on a solid victory. Baughman provided six assists for her teammates and Jolliffe hit .333 for Trine, but the stat leaders were on the other Thunder roster as Gerze hit a remarkable .714 in the fourth set and Boss contributed with four assists and a service ace to round out a quality all-around performance on the night.
Trine fell to 0-2 on the year so far, while the Thunder immediately recovered from the Calvin defeat to improve to 1-1. Next up for Wheaton is a trip out west to participate in the Pacific Coast Classic, being hosted by Pomona-Pitzer college. They are scheduled to play California-Santa Cruz at 11:45 AM (PST) on Friday, September 3rd. The Thunder's next match in King Arena is September 17th, when they are slated to host Carroll in their CCIW conference opener.
