SAN ANTONIO – The 11th-ranked Trinity volleyball team extended its winning streak to 13 consecutive games by defeating both Concordia University (TX) and Hardin-Simmons University (TX) in non-conference action on Wednesday evening.

The Tigers (17-3) swept Concordia with final scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-17 to start the day, then took out Hardin-Simmons by a final score of 3-1. Trinity took the opener 25-15, then Hardin-Simmons won 26-24 to even things up 1-1. The Tigers bounced back to win 25-15 and 25-11 in the final two sets to earn the win. The Cowgirls fell to 8-8 on the season with the loss, while the Tornados dropped to 1-12. Trinity was also able to get 15 players into each match tonight.

First-year Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) finished with 17 kills and seven blocks in the two matches, hitting better than .470 in each contest. She led the Tigers with eight kills in the opening match, while also adding three blocks.

Senior Carley Broekhuizen (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Kalamazoo Christian) led the team with four blocks in the win over Concordia, while sophomore Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) was the lone Tiger player to reach double figures with 11 digs.

Fifth-year setter Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, Calif. / Notre Dame Prep) and first-year Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, Calif. / Viewpoint) were the top setters for the Tigers today. Amarino closed the day out with a team-leading 24 assists against HSU, while DeRivel scored 17 assists in the opener to pace the team.

 Senior Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) posted a double-double in the finale, scoring 13 kills to go with 10 digs to lead Trinity in both categories. Fifth-year Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) tied Logan with 10 digs in the second match, while fellow fifth-year Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall) had eight kills and a Tiger-best six blocks in the win over Hardin-Simmons. Sophomore Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) led the team with three aces in the second match and tallied a total of 15 digs on the day.

The Rundown: Trinity vs. Concordia

The Tigers held the lead for most of the opening set against the Tornados, but never by more than three points until the midway point. Concordia drew within a point at 10-9 when Trinity three straight points on errors committed by the visiting team. That sparked a streak during which the Tigers scored 10 of the next 14 points and the lead grew to 20-13. Concordia never recovered and the margin stayed the same by the end (25-18) as the two teams split the final 10 points.

The second set was also close early on, though Trinity never trailed after taking the first two points. Concordia tied things up 3-3 and again at 5-5, then still trailed by just one (7-6) when the Tigers rattled off five straight points to pull away for good. The Tornados never got closer than five points after that and Trinity took the 2-0 lead with a 10-point win in the second set.

The third set began with five straight points and it looked like the Tigers would finish things off with ease in the early going. Concordia fought back and took the lead, though, scoring seven of the next eight points to edge in front 7-6. Trinity began a 6-1 run with four straight points and never really looked back. Concordia closed to within five points late in the set, but the Tigers finished with three unanswered to sweep the match.

The Rundown: Trinity vs. Hardin-Simmons

The two teams traded points early, but Trinity quickly built a seven-point lead (13-6) in the early going. That lead went as high as 20-10 before Hardin-Simmons got any momentum going, but by then it was too late. Three straight points by the Cowgirls led to three straight by the Tigers and the lead remained 10 by the end of the set.

Hardin-Simmons had the advantage early after scoring three of the first four points. The Tigers fought back to tie things up a couple of times early, but HSU held the home team off for much of the way. The Cowgirls slowly built up the lead and were poised to close things out with a 24-18 lead. Instead, Trinity battled back to tie things up with six straight points and nearly stole the set victory, but Hardin-Simmons scored the final two points to even the match.

The third and fourth sets were all Trinity, beginning with a 5-1 start to the third. Every time HSU got close, the Tigers pushed back to widen the margin. A late 9-3 run by Trinity pushed the lead into double digits and the final margin was 25-15. The fourth wasn't as quick a start by the Tigers, but an early 7-0 run pushed the lead to 12-4. A quick four-point spurt just a few points later pushed the lead to 11 and Trinity never let up to the end of the 25-11 win to clinch the match.

Up Next

Trinity will host Our Lady of the Lake University on Tuesday, October 10, at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers will also host its final home matches of the year the following weekend (October 13-14) in continued Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.