THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - No. 1 Trinity University Volleyball swept its pair of matches in straight-sets on the opening day of the 2021 East to West Battle hosted by California Lutheran University.

The Tigers (6-0) opened the day with a statement victory over No. 2 Emory University, the second time in the team's last seven matches that its played in a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup dating back to the 2021 spring season.

Trinity then concluded the evening with a wire-to-wire victory over the host Cal Lutheran, securing two sets by double-digits before it maintained its undefeated status.

The 2021 East to West Battle concludes for Trinity with one match Saturday afternoon, No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, at 1:15 p.m.

Game One: #1 Trinity 3, #2 Emory 0

The highly-anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup saw the Tigers leap to a 9-1 start over the second-ranked Eagles as excellent execution led to a four-for-five start on the attack including a pair of kills early for senior middle blocker Emily Ellis (Georgetown, Texas / Georgetown) who made her first start of the 2021 campaign Friday.

The eventual first-set tally of 25-17 following the hot start came via a defensive struggle as Trinity closed on just a .212 hitting percentage while it held Emory in negative territory in the same category. Senior rightside hitter Sara Flynn (Denver, Colo. / East) had a trio of kills while senior outside hitter Annie Rose Leggett (Austin, Texas / Westwood) racked up six of the Tigers' 16 digs in the frame.

Friday's 25-19 second stanza featured a gradually-increased margin thanks to a staggering .379 attack rate for Trinity. While the Tigers did not collectively storm the scoreboard early, the second set was opened on back-to-back kills from Leggett, who dominated the set with six kills, a trio of digs and block which put her within reach of a double-double to that point (7 kills, 9 digs), one which would elude her.

The Tigers held their highest advantage of six points four separate times in the closing minutes of the second, the first of which at a 16-10 advantage from a kill by senior outside hitter Avery Tuggle (Cedar Creek, Texas / Cedar Creek), one of four kills through the first pair of frames. Ellis returned as a defensive menace in the second with a trio of blocks to go with her four-kill total at that point.

The final frame seized control of momentum, and the match, at a 25-15 score, though the Tigers trailed 11-9 midway through the set which set up Trinity for a massive 16-4 run to put away the nation's second-ranked Eagles.

The Tigers only needed 10 kills in the final set thanks to an impressive defensive presence at the net between Ellis, Tuggle and Flynn, who forced Emory into 10 errors on the attack.

Coach Speak

"Our Tigers took care of business," Head Coach Julie Jenkins said. "They kept their foot on the gas regardless if we had big leads or the game was on the line. Our fighting, aggressive demeanor no matter what has been our focus. Our matches this weekend will only get tougher and we're ready for the challenge."

Game Two: #1 Trinity 3, Cal Lutheran 0

The Tigers sustained their momentum through the afternoon layover and into their nightcap match with the Regals. Trinity doubled its host in offensive output (46 kills to 23 kills) over the straight-sets victory and added a complimentary margin in digs at 52-29 which pulled Cal Lutheran down to a .089 attack percentage.

Junior libero Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) commanded the receiving end with 16 digs while Leggett collected 12 which paired with her 11 kills to grab the elusive double-double from the morning match. Leggett and Tuggle again paced the attack as the pair of Tigers in double-digits, 11 and 10, respectively. Flynn fired eight kills while Ellis posted a four-for-five effort.

Up Next

Top-ranked Trinity Volleyball faces No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to conlude its part of the 2021 East to West Battle Saturday at 1:15 p.m. CT.

The Tigers then return to San Antonio to host the second of their home tournaments, the Trinity National Invitational, next weekend.