Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Trine, 3-0, for first MCVL Win of the Season

SPRINGFIELD, OH – With too many offensive weapons for Trine to handle, Wittenberg Men's Volleyball came out victorious Friday, Feb. 20, with a 3-0 sweep of the Thunder in their first Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) match of the season.

Playing in the restored 1929 Fieldhouse, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex, the Tigers came out strong, holding the Thunder to just 11 points in the first set while hitting .571. But Trine woke up in the next two, giving the Tigers a fight to the finish before it was all over. However, Wittenberg claimed its 10th win of the season in scores of 25-11, 25-21, and 25-21.

With the win, Wittenberg improves to 10-4 overall and 1-0 in the MCVL. Trine goes to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in the league after defeating Mount St. Joseph earlier in the week, 3-1. Calvin currently leads at 3-0. The Tigers were picked to finish third in the league behind Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace, while Trine was picked for fourth.

Despite the last two sets being closer in scoring, Witt still outhit Trine .235 to .159 in set two, and .333 to .194 in set three.

Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) dominated offensively throughout the match to lead the team in kills with 15 on 25 total attacks for a .520 hitting percentage. He also led the team in points with 16 and turned in the team's only service ace of the night. Halverson, who is the record holder in service aces, now has a total of 86 aces. The previous record was 82.

Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) added 10 kills and 12 points, while Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) turned in nine and tallied 10 points. Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) had six blocks in the match. Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) led the team in assists with 23, and Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) picked up 10. Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) was the top defensive player with 13 digs, while Newton grabbed 10 and Yurk added nine.

The Tigers defeated Trine last season, 3-1, and with today's win, they are now 4-5 in the overall series. 

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 45 kills on 94 total attacks for a .351 hitting percentage, along with 40 assists, one service ace, 46 digs, and three blocks.
• Trine had 26 kills on 94 total attacks for a .138 hitting percentage, along with 25 assists, three service aces, 33 digs, and five blocks.

Up Next

Wittenberg will host Calvin on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. in its second MCVL match of the season.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook