San Antonio - The Trinity volleyball team moved up a notch to fourth in the nation by the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Poll.

Led by 33rd-year Head Coach Julie Jenkins, the Tigers stand at 27-7 on the season. Last week, Trinity finished as runner-up at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in Kerrville, Texas. The Tigers defeated then-second-ranked Southwestern (TX) University 3-2 in the semifinals, and were edged by top-ranked Colorado College by the same score in the championship matchup.

Trinity received an at-large bid to its 23rd NCAA Division III Tournament. The Tigers open the 64-team postseason event Friday in Georgetown, Texas, with fifth-ranked Southwestern serving as host of the six-team Regional.

The Tigers meet Pacific Lutheran (WA) University, which received votes in the poll, in the first round at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The winner plays at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the second round, against either #1 Colorado College or the College of New Rochelle (NY).

In other first-round matches, Southwestern plays Whittier (CA) College, and sixth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CA) Colleges take on the University of Texas-Dallas, which received votes in the AVCA Poll. The third-round is slated for noon Sunday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals November 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Semifinals and Championship are scheduled for November 17-18 in Grand Rapids.

The Tigers are ranked 13th in Division III in team kills and 14th in assists. Sarah Mullens is currently eighth in the nation with 80 service aces.