St. Norbert Progresses at Trine Triangular

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, February 1, 2020 | Men's Volleyball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

ANGOLA, Ind. - St. Norbert College picked up a pair of set wins in 3-1 losses to Trine University and Trinity Christian (Ill.) College at the Trine Triangular at MTI Center.

The Green Knights opened with a 25-14, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19 loss to Trine, and then dropped a 25-19, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21 decision to Trinity Christian.

St. Norbert trailed 18-16 in the second set against Trine before scoring five of the next six points to take a 21-19 lead, and closed the set out on a Trine attacking error. The Green Knights fell behind 4-0 to open the third set but got back to within 11-10 and 19-17, but could never overtake the Thunder.

St. Norbert hit .072 against Trine, with 28 kills and 20 errors in 111 attempts. Josh Hauke led the offense with 11 kills, while Sean Loughney added seven kills. Ben Rinella had 13 assists, with Eddie Pacula adding 11 helpers. Pacula also had three service aces.

Rinella and Jake Bettag had three blocks apiece, while Hauke, Morgan Wilson and Jake Krueger all had two blocks apiece. Krueger finished with a team-high seven digs.

Trine hit .207 (46-23-111), with Kyle Dixon registering a match-high 15 kills.

Against Trinity Christian, St. Norbert pulled out the third set after trailing 20-17. Loughney and Rinella each had a pair of kills for the Green Knights during the set-closing 8-3 run. St. Norbert was within 14-13 in the fourth set before the Trolls went on a 6-0 run to take control. The Green Knights got to within 21-19 but didn't draw nearer.

St. Norbert hit .080 against Trinity Christian, getting 37 kills against 28 errors in 113 swings. Hauke had nine kills, while Lougney and Krueger had eight kills apiece. Pacula finished with 18 assists, while Rinella chipped in 10.

Loughney and Rinella each had two blocks, while Rinella totaled a match-high 12 digs.