ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University men's volleyball team (0-6) struggled to get anything going against Trine University (1-7) in a 3-0 shutout on Friday night. Trine was in control the entire match and put together a lot of offense that the Regents had a hard time defending. Trine was able to hit 47.8 percent through the three sets of play compared to Rockford's 10 percent that made a significant difference in momentum through the match.
Josh Albers managed to lead the Regents in digs and record 14 assists to help the RU side.
Set 1
- Trine started running away with the first set after starting the match on an 11-3 run to take a huge lead.
- Rockford tried to cut the deficit with the score at 19-10, but Trine scored five of the next six points to force the first set point of the match.
- The Regents managed to get two more points, including a kill by James Davenport, but Trine went up 1-0 in the set count with the final score of 25-13.
Set 2
- Rockford started the second set up 2-1, but Trine mounted a 15-4 run to take another lead, up by ten points.
- Then the Regents and Thunder traded points back and forth, and RU was able to cut the lead down to seven points at 19-12.
- RU continued to try and come back, but Trine was able to close the door on the second set on a 6-4 run. The Thunder won 25-16 to take a 2-0 set lead.
Set 3
- Trine continued to create runs, starting off the third set up 8-2.
- It was a balanced match building up to 17-10. Nathan Vana had a great ace during the points battle.
- Trine took the next five points to all but seal the deal for the Thunder. Rockford got two more points at the end of the set, but Trine got the three they needed to capture the team's first win of the season, 25-12.
Rockford will head on the road to take on Lincoln College on February 4th. First serve is scheduled for 6pm in Lincoln, Ill.
