No. 11 Tiger Volleyball opened up Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play undefeated as they picked up wins against the University of St. Thomas and Southwestern University. 
 
The Tigers (10-3) had two hard-fought matches that showed their grit and perseverance. Senior Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) kept her red-hot swing going, leading the team with 31 kills on the day. Sophomore Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) found her groove on day one as she collected 25 kills. The defense of the Tigers would be key for the victory, as the Tigers amassed 164 digs and 16 total blocks.
 
Game One - Tigers 3, Celts 1
 
The Tigers looked to open up SCAC matches with a win, and that's exactly what happened. The Tigers saw themselves on the bad side of a 12-10 score, but that wouldn't be the case for long. The Tigers busted a huge 5-unanswered point-scoring run to take the lead, capped off by a ferocious kill by Mackenzie Logan. From that point on, the Tigers never gave up the lead. The Tigers would go on multiple high-quality runs. The Tigers would blaze through the rest and first-year Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michaels) would put the ball to the floor to end the set with a score of 25-20 in favor of the Tigers.
 
The second set started off well for the Tigers, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. The Celts were determined to fight back, so they clawed all the way back to bring the score to 11-11. From then, the Celts continued to fight and a final 7-3 push by the Celts would give them the set 21-25. 
 
However, the Tigers wouldn't let the previous set affect them. Out of the break, the Tigers were roaring, going on to hold a 7-3 lead. Every time the Celts would try to respond, the Tigers would have an answer. Celts get a point? Here's two points for the Tigers sponsored by a kill from McWilliams and a block by Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall). The Tigers would continue to answer throughout the set and then a slam by Whatley would see the Tigers win 25-19. 
 
Set four started off differently than the others, with the two teams trading blows until the score was tied up at 13 all. Just then, the big Tiger block got into the action. Three blocks in a row from Kathryn Detweiler (Goshen, Indiana / Goshen) and Maddie Fate (Croton are Hudson, New York / Croton Harmon) and then another kill by Fate brought the score to 17-13, Tigers. A monstrous 8-2 run by the Tigers, which ended with a service ace from Reagan Whatley, would give the Tigers the set and the match with a 25-17 score. 
 
Logan had a great game, leading the team in kills (17), with Whatley right behind her (11). Defensively, it would be Nadia Kern (El Paso, Texas / Montwood) who led the team in digs (19).  
 
Game Two - Tigers 3, Pirates 2
 
The Tigers started off this SCAC rivalry with a bang, pulling out to an early 5-2 lead The Tigers would hold the lead throughout the majority of the set. However, a crucial timeout by the Pirates would give them the edge they needed. With the Tigers just needing two points to win the set, the Pirates would score 6 unanswered points to take the set 23-25. 
 
Set two would not start out the same as set one, the two rivals were locked up, trading punches until the score was dead even at 12-12. The Tigers would make their best move by going on an 8-5 scoring run to bring the score to 20-17. The Pirates would make a run of their own to even the score at 24-24, but the moment wasn't too big for the Tigers. Head Coach Julie Jenkins called a well-executed timeout and fired up her team. Out of the timeout, Whatley put a beautiful swing to put the ball on the floor to put the Tigers up. After a pivotal mistake from the Pirates, the Tigers would take the set 26-24 and even the match at one set apiece.
 
Set three was another seesaw battle for the two teams as neither team was willing to give up multiple points in a row. The third set saw a tied score five times. After a 19-19 score, the Pirates would go on a 6-4 swing that brought the set to 23-25, in favor of the Pirates. 
 
In the fourth set, it was all Tigers. The Tigers stormed out to a huge 7-0 lead. Just when the Pirates scored their first point, the Tigers tacked on four more to make it 11-1. A combination of the right arms and the nationally ranked block of the Tigers was crucial to this set. The Tigers accumulated three blocks and ten kills in set four alone. Before the Southwestern crowd could rub their eyes and see what was happening, the Tigers had tacked on even more points to make it 18-10. Just like at the beginning of the set, the Tigers scored 7 unanswered points. This time, however, it would give them the set 25-10.
 
In the fifth and final set of this tug-o-war matchup, it would be a clash. The Pirates caught a quick 2-0 lead, but the Tigers knew that they did not have as many points to play with. The Tigers stormed back off of the right arm of Mackenzie Logan to start a run that would put them up 5-2. The two rivals would go back and forth until the score was all tied up at 8-8. However, nothing outlasts the Brette Thornton as she stepped to the service line and led the Tigers on a crucial run. Just when the Pirates thought they could freeze her with the timeout, she put her fabulous float on the floor to ace the Pirates. Late in the game, the Tigers knew who to give the ball to, it would be 2022 SCAC Freshman of the Year Reagan Whatley who would slam a down-the-line shot to win the set 15-11 and give the match to the Tigers.
Whatley and Logan had another great match offensively, collecting 14 kills each. Thornton and Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) would be right behind them with 9 kills apiece. Kern would lead the squad with 23 digs and Fate would put up another fantastic blocking game with 6 total blocks. 
 
Up Next - SCAC Crossover, Day Two
 
The Tigers will wrap up their first SCAC crossover of 2023 by squaring off against the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs tomorrow at 12:15 PM, a rematch of the 2022 SCAC Championship.