SAN ANTONIO - No. 2 Trinity University Volleyball swept fourth-seed Texas Lutheran University Saturday afternoon to move on to the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference final Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT in Calgaard Gym.

The Tigers (30-2, 16-0 SCAC) posted a .330 team hitting percentage to go with a 9-2 advantage on the block to cruise past the Bulldogs after a light rally was required in the match's opener.

2021 SCAC Co-Player of the Year senior outside hitter Avery Tuggle (Cedar Creek, Texas / Cedar Creek) led the scoring for the Tigers with 11 kills and three blocks along with 10 digs for her 13th double-double of the 2021 campaign.

All-SCAC second-teamer senior rightside hitter Sarah Williammee (Denver, Colo. / East) joined Tuggle in double-digit kills with 10 for the match, six of which came in the first set as the Tigers rallied from a late four-point deficit to preserve the sweep.

All-SCAC first-teamer senior outside hitter Annie Rose Leggett (Austin, Texas / Westwood) and junior libero Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) kept the ball in the air for a combined 38 digs out of the Tigers' 59 digs in total to drag the Bulldogs' hitting percentage down to .116 despite hitting well-over .300 in the early-going.

No. 2 Trinity Volleyball will host the winner of Colorado College and Southwestern University in the 2021 SCAC Championship Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT.

The Rundown

The Tigers fell behind out of the gate in the opening game as they saw a four-point deficit early on and trailed consistently by two or three points before finally logging a tied score at 16-16 on a Williammee kill. During that time, Trinity logged just one block while Williammee had already posted five kills.

Another tied score at 21-21 triggered a Texas Lutheran timeout though the stoppage was not enough to stop a 6-0 Trinity streak en route to the 25-21 set score. Senior middle blocker Emily Ellis (Georgetown, Texas / Georgetown) posted a pair of her match-high four blocks in the opener.

Trinity carried the first-set momentum into the second, scoring a pair of points at the start to take the early lead. Tuggle notched four kills in the first five Tiger points after a slow start to her day, and an 11-6 advantage forced a timeout for the Bulldogs. Texas Lutheran rebounded after the timeout with a streak of five kills on six straight points to take a slim 12-11 lead.

The Tigers regained the lead with three kills after a successful timeout of their own. Flynn then led a 4-1 stretch with a pair of kills that led to an 18-15 Trinity lead and a TLU timeout. The timeout didn't matter this time, though, as the Tigers maintained their lead to the end. Tuggle added five kills, Leggett chipped in with four of her own, and both Flynn and Ellis notched two blocks each.

The third set began with Trinity on fire, sprinting to an 8-1 lead that led to an early TLU timeout. The hot start continued and the lead eventually crept to 10 points at 16-6. Texas Lutheran called its final timeout at 18-8, but the Tigers were able to maintain the lead and finish off the sweep.

Numbers to Note

Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, Calif. / Notre Dame Prep) paced Trinity's offense with 28 assists to go with her five digs.

Leggett led the match with 20 digs, followed closely by Kern's 18 digs. Kern and Amarino both had two aces as well.

Flynn and Ellis were joined by Emma Funk (Pass Christian, Miss. / Our Lady) with four blocks each to lead the match.

Prior to the match, the All-SCAC teams were announced. Trinity was also recognized as the 2021 SCAC Regular Season Champion, after finishing the conference schedule undefeated.

Up Next

Trinity will play in Sunday's SCAC Championship Match against the winner of Colorado College and Southwestern University, who are playing in the second semifinal later this afternoon. That match is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. start, which will follow the Third/Fourth place Match at noon.