Volleyball team wins five-set thriller at Trine

The Olivet College volleyball team won a five-set thriller at Trine (Ind.) University tonight at Hershey Hall in Angola. After the Comets lost the first set, 25-12, they bounced back to win the next two sets, 25-23 and 26-24. The Thunder came back to force a deciding set with a 25-17 win in the fourth set. Olivet took the match by wining the fifth set, 15-12.

Trine led for almost the entire first set. After a 4-4 tie in the second set, Olivet scored three straight points to take a 7-4 lead. The Comets continued to lead until the score got deadlocked three times at 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22. A Trine attack error and kill for sophomore Ellen Schulz (Freeland) allowed Olivet to take a 24-22 lead. A service error made the score 24-23, but another Trine attack error resulted in set point for the Comets.

The Thunder appeared to take control of the third set by taking a 7-2 lead. Olivet climbed back and tied the set at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 14-14 and 15-15. The Comets went ahead by two points but Trine bounced back to force a 19-19 tie. The Thunder pulled ahead, 24-23 before Olivet scored the final three points of the set, including the set point on an ace by senior Courtney Lewis (Battle Creek/St. Philip).

The first 11 points of the fourth set was a back and forth affair with neither team leading by more than one point. The Thunder grabbed the first two-point lead of the set, 15-13 and never looked back, winning the set, 25-17.

The beginning of the fifth set had Trine leading by two points twice, 6-4 and 9-7. Olivet knotted the score at 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11. With the score at 11-11, a Thunder attack error gave the Comets a lead, which they did not relinquish. Lewis ended the set and match with another service ace, which grazed the top of the net and dropped over.

Olivet will close out the regular season portion of its schedule next Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Adrian College. First serve from the Merillat Center in Adrian is 6:30 p.m.