SAN ANTONIO - No. 2 Trinity University Volleyball kept its spring slate rolling at the Bell Center Friday night as it grabbed two more 3-0 decisions in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play from University of St. Thomas.

Junior middle blocker Emily Ellis (Georgetown, Texas / Georgetown) collected 11 blocks over Friday's six sets, stuffing the visiting Celts to a .023 hitting percentage on the day.

Senior outside hitter Avery Tuggle (Cedar Creek, Texas / Cedar Creek) paced Trinity with 17 kills, one of five Tigers, including Ellis (13 kills) to land in double figures on the day.

No. 2 Trinity Volleyball looks ahead to its final regular-season SCAC doubleheader of the 2021 spring semester next weekend at Texas Lutheran University.

Match One: Trinity 3, St. Thomas 0  

The Tigers stiffled the visiting offense, dragging the Celts down to a .000 hitting mark as a team, including two sets in the negatives.

Friday's first set opened with a brief St. Thomas run before Trinity outscored its opponent 20-4 in response to the 7-2 opening deficit. Ellis posted three of her blocks to keep the Celts at a negative-.190 attack rate in the first.

The back rows for both squads began to get into rhythm for the second frame as long rallies became the equalizer. Tuggle posted six of Trinity's 20 digs in the second, followed by fellow senior outside hitter Annie Rose Leggett (Austin, Texas / Westwood) and junior setter Lexie Acevedo (San Antonio, Texas / Incarnate Word HS) with four digs each.

The tightly-contested third frame was a consequence of the rhythm established in the second. Both teams combined for 64 digs, Trinity with a narrow 34-30 margin, led by a tireless nine-dig effort from sophomore defensive specialist Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood). Senior libero Sami Lin (Sugar Land, Texas / Fort Bend Christian) and sophomore setter Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, Calif / Notre Dame Prep) also managed to collect seven and six digs, respectively to contribute on the receiving end.

Match Two: Trinity 3, St. Thomas 0

Friday's nightcap saw the Tigers bring its same defensive intensity alongside a more-efficient attack. The first and second frames featured team hitting rates over .300, including a .375 mark in the opener powered by nine kills between Tuggle and first-year middle blocker Maddie Fate (Croton on Hudson, NY / Croton Harmon).

Eight separate three-kill sets were logged for the Tigers in the match, spread across six attackers, four of which occurred in the momentum-setting first frame.

As the Trinity offense cooled off late, Kern returned with another nine-dig third-set performance to keep the ball in the air and prevent the Celts from capitalizing on their late push in the 25-22 finale.

Notable Numbers

Tuggle led five Tigers with double-digit kills in the doubleheader, followed by Ellis at 13, junior rightside hitters Sara Flynn (Seattle, Wash. / Roosevelt) and Sarah Williammee (Denver, Colo. / East) at 12 and 11 kills, respectively and Fate with 10.

Tuggle also led the Tigers with 20 digs. Kern ended one dig shy of this week's AVCA Player of the Week, though did so almost solely in the third sets of both contests.

Ellis had a hand in 11 of Trinity's 17 team blocks on Friday, aided by Flynn and Tuggle with five apiece.

Up Next

No. 2 Trinity Volleyball heads over to Seguin, Texas to conclude SCAC regular-season action against Texas Lutheran Friday. The doubleheader is scheduled to open at 11 a.m.