SAN ANTONIO – The top-ranked Tiger volleyball team finished off an undefeated weekend at the season-opening Trinity Fall Classic with a pair of wins on Saturday.

The second and final day of tournament action began with the Tigers holding off Whitworth University (Wash.) in a thrilling 3-2 win. Trinity capped its four-win weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Concordia University (Texas) in the tournament finale.

The match against Whitworth started with Trinity taking the first two sets with relative ease (25-17, 25-18), but Whitworth rallied to win the next two by identical 25-21 wins before the Tigers took the final set 15-10. Senior setter Alexis Acevedo (San Antonio, Texas / Incarnate Word) set the tone on both sides of the ball with a team-high 27 assists and 14 digs for the lone double-double of the match for Trinity.

Trinity got 15 players into the second match of the day, which ended with wins of 25-12, 25-20, and 25-17 to complete the day with a sweep. Trinity hit .385 as a team, committing just nine errors on 78 swings.

Avery Tuggle (Cedar Creek, Texas / Cedar Creek) was named the Tournament MVP after leading the team to a 4-0 record at the Fall Classic. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) and Sara Flynn (Seattle, Wash. / Roosevelt).

Game One: Trinity 3, Whitworth 2

By the end of the match the two teams had strikingly similar stat lines, with one glaring exception: attack errors. Whitworth made 10 more errors than the hometown Tigers, which led to a .139 hitting clip for the visiting Pirates.

Trinity eased out to an early 10-4 lead and never trailed in the opening set. Whitworth pulled to within two points (9-11), but the Tigers scored five of the next six to build the lead back to six points and never looked back.

The second set was more of the same as Trinity jumped in front early, but Whitworth did make another comeback bid to draw within three points at 16-19. The Tigers finished with a 6-2 scoring run to close out the second set for a 2-0 lead.

The teams battled back and forth in the third with neither building a significant lead until the latter part of the set. Whitworth used a 7-1 run that including five consecutive points to take a 19-15 lead over Trinity. The Tigers drew within two points minutes later, but the visitors held on to keep the match going.

Another strong scoring run in the middle of the fourth gave Whitworth a strong 17-12 advantage, but Trinity once again battled back in the waning moments. The Tigers scored four straight points and trailed 21-22, but a key timeout by the Pirates led to a 3-0 run to close out the set.

The teams were tied 5-5 in the fifth set when Trinity imposed its will with four straight points to take control of the deciding game. Whitworth never got closer than three points the rest of the way and an attack error by the visitors gave the Tigers the deciding point.

Senior outside Tuggle led the way with 19 kills and a solid .260 hitting percentage to go with her nine digs. Fellow senior outside Annie Rose Leggett (Austin, Texas / Westwood) just missed joining Acevedo with a double-double, finishing with eight kills and 10 digs.

Kern, a junior libero, led the defensive effort with 20 digs and aided the scoring output with a team-leading four service aces.

Junior middle Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall) and senior rightside Flynn each recorded five blocks to lead the Tigers, while senior middle Emma Funk (Pass Christian, Miss. / Our Lady) added four stuffs of her own in the win.

Game Two: Trinity 3, Concordia 0

Concordia opened the match by scoring three of the first four points, but Trinity scored six unanswered points to take control. The Tigers scored 13 of the final 16 points to finish off the set, including a 6-0 run that put the home team in front 1-0.

Trinity was on fire to start the second set, taking a 7-1 lead before Concordia rallied to within one point just minutes later. The Tigers never lost the lead, though, and then scored five straight to reclaim control of the action. The Tornados kept pace but never got closer than three points down the stretch and the Tigers were on the verge of a sweep.

Another early spurt put Trinity in front 9-1 to start what would be the final set, but Concordia wouldn't bow out without a final fight to the finish. After the visitors made it a one-point game, a home team timeout led to a 9-3 run by Trinity that made it a 21-14 lead. The Tigers traded points with Concordia down the stretch, holding on to finish off the victory.

Leggett finished with a team-leading nine kills and hit a blistering .467 to close out her weekend. Senior middle blocker Emily Ellis (Georgetown, Texas / Georgetown) had her best match of the weekend with seven kills and a .667 hitting percentage, as well as leading the team with three blocks.

Junior setter Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, Calif. / Notre Dame Prep) led a balanced attack with 15 assists, while Acevedo chipped in with 12 assists of her own in just two sets played. Sami Lin (Sugar Land, Texas / Fort Bend Christian) tied with Tuggle for the team lead with six digs in the tournament finale.

Coach Speak

"Our win over Whitworth was a great test of dealing with adversity and having our backs against the wall," said Head Coach Julie Jenkins. "Our team responded well and the depth on our team gives us many more options this year when needed - which is exciting to see!"

Up Next

The Tigers will head to the West Coast for the East-West Battle in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Trinity will take on #4 Emory University (Ga.), #10 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) and hosting California Lutheran University (receiving votes) in an action-packed weekend.