No. 13 Tiger Volleyball brings the SCAC crown back to the 210 with a sweep of Colorado College on Saturday afternoon.
The Rundown
The Tigers were ready and determined to be undisputed champions as senior
Maddie Fate (Croton on Hudson, New York / Croton Harmon) put the ball down for the first point for the Tigers. It was a close match early on but in the last SCAC tournament game of her career,
Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) hit back-to-back service aces on the way to six-straight Tiger points to grow the lead to 20-10.
Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) was ready to end the set with a precise cross-court shot to give the Tigers the first set, 25-14.
The second set would see the two big cats getting out a 9-9 tie. However, it was time for some of the Tiger seniors to step in. Kern,
Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall), and
Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) would combine for the next three points to pad the lead, 17-13. The Tiger block was immaculate, causing multiple Colorado hitters to make crucial errors throughout the set. The set would be capped off by a float serve by
Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, California / Notre Dame Prep) that would hit the next and land just past the outstretched arms of a Colorado defender, sending the Tiger bench into a frenzy. Even though Colorado would storm back and tie the game at 18 all, but the Tigers late 7-1 run would seal the second set, 25-19.
This excellent Tiger SCAC run would not be complete without overcoming a little adversity. The Tigers saw themselves down 5-3 early in the set, but that did not scare the top-seeded team. Whatley would kill a cross-court shot, and then go back on defense to get an assisted block with Fate to give the Tigers an 11-7 lead. Colorado would not go down with a fight, though. They would claw their way back to set the match at 16 all. The biggest point of the match came on a quick set from
Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) to middle hitter
Brette Thornton. Thornton would send a thundering shot down the pipe and bring the Tiger fans to their feet. That point was just what the Tigers needed to get the confidence they needed to finish off Colorado. The Tigers would put in more huge points, including a monster kill from Logan to bring the game to 23-20. As the Tigers dug in for the final point, Colorado would make a cruscial passing miscue, and the Tigers would joyously rush the court and embrace their teammates as they were dubbed the 2023 SCAC Tournament Champions.
Logan would lead the Tigers with 12 total kills, and Dhayer would lead defensively with 13 kills. Amarino would collect 23 assists. Fate and Thornton would both have an over .500 hitting percentage for the match. Kern, Amarino, and Fate would also be named to the All-Tournament team.
Up Next - NCAA Tournament
With the tournament win, the Tigers have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA III Regional. The Tigers will start play on Thursday, November 16th.
