Seguin, Texas – The second-ranked Tiger volleyball team completed a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference sweep by winning two matches at Texas Lutheran University on Friday afternoon. (PHOTO CREDIT: Texas Lutheran Athletics / Dustin Wyatt)

Trinity extended its winning streak to eight matches by winning 3-1 and 3-0 over the Bulldogs, which moves the team's record to 12-2 on the season. The Tigers won 25-9, 25-27, 25-9, and 25-11 in the opener, then completed the day by winning 25-15, 25-17, and 25-14 in the finale.

The Rundown: Match One

Trinity never trailed in the opening set of the doubleheader, starting things off by taking a 12-4 early lead. After Texas Lutheran grabbed a couple of points to slow down the Tigers momentarily, Trinity rattled off six straight points to push it to a 20-7 lead. The Bulldogs got just two more points the rest of the way, and Trinity finished the set with five unanswered to take a 1-0 lead.

The home team had the early advantage in the second set by keeping Trinity from putting together any runs longer than two points. The Bulldogs led by as many as five points at 11-6, but the Tigers kept the score within reach before finally making their move. Five consecutive points put Trinity in front 16-14, but TLU soon tied things up 17-17. Trinity had a 24-23 lead before Texas Lutheran scored twice to extend the game, then broke a 25-25 tie with the final two points to make it a 1-1 match score.

Trinity scored five straight points early to pull in front 8-3, then answered a 3-0 TLU run by scoring 13 of the next 14 points to take a commanding 21-7 lead. The Bulldogs broke things up with two late scores, but Trinity finished things off with four straight points and a 2-1 match lead.

The Tigers left no room for a comeback in the fourth, beginning the final set with a 13-1 run that Texas Lutheran never recovered from. The home team never got closer than a nine-point deficit the rest of the way, and Trinity finished off the match by scoring seven of the final nine points.

The Rundown: Match Two

Just as they did in the opening match, the Tigers controlled the first set from the beginning, taking an early 11-3 advantage. That lead went as high as 11 points, including a 20-9 lead late in the set. The teams traded points down the stretch, and Trinity led the match 1-0.

While the second set initially looked like the first, Texas Lutheran kept pace with the Tigers this time around and the lead never got bigger than three points in the early going. The Bulldogs tied things up 12-12 by scoring four of five points, but Trinity broke the tie with five straight scores to take control. The Tigers finished by scoring five of the final six points to set themselves up for the sweep.

The teams traded runs early in the third set and the outcome was still undecided when Texas Lutheran tied things up 11-11. Trinity ended all thoughts of a fourth set with a 7-0 run, though, taking control of the final set. The Bulldogs cut the lead back to five, but the Tigers scored six in a row to put the game out of reach.

Numbers to Note

Emma Funk (Pass Christian, Miss. / Our Lady Academy) had one of her best days of the season with 19 total kills and eight blocks in the two wins. She led the team with 11 kills in the opening match, then led the way with eight more in the second. Funk had a season-best seven blocks in the first matchup, which is just one shy of her career-high.

Speaking of career-highs, Avery Tuggle (Cedar Creek, Texas / Cedar Creek) added another for her resume in the opening match. She finished the contest with a career-best nine blocks to lead the Tigers, adding eight kills and six digs, as well as tying for the team lead with three aces. Tuggle also led the team with 14 digs to go with six kills in the second match.

Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, Calif. / Notre Dame Prep) led the team in assists on the day, tallying a total of 36 to edge out fellow setter Lexie Acevedo (San Antonio, Texas / Incarnate Word HS). Acevedo and Amarino tied for the team lead with 19 assists in the second match, while Amarino paced the team with 17 assists to start the day. Acevedo had 16 assists in the opener, adding 12 digs for a double-double.

Annie Rose Leggett (Austin, Texas / Westwood) led the team with 14 digs in the opening match, then paced the Tigers with six service aces in the finale.

Sami Lin (Sugar Land, Texas / Fort Bend Christian) tied Tuggle for the team lead with three aces in the opening match, adding 12 digs. Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) totaled 15 digs overall on Friday, including nine in the finale.

Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall) tied Funk for the team lead with eight kills in the second match, while Sarah Williammee (Denver, Colo. / East) had seven kills in a balanced attack for the Tigers.

Coach Speak

"Our Tigers had a big day blocking and serving," said Head Coach Julie Jenkins. "Annie led the way with eight aces. Avery and Emma led in blocking. Lexie and Marisa are doing a terrific job distributing the ball and gave us balanced scoring."

Up Next

Trinity has completed its regular season schedule for the spring semester, and will next compete in the opening round of the SCAC Tournament in two weeks. Matchups and locations will be determined by the final regular season standings in the conference.