No. 6 Trinity University Volleyball takes its first road trip of their 2023 season to a familiar area of Claremont, California to face off against multiple nationally ranked opponents at the East-West Battle Tournament. The tournament will be held in Claremont after being held in Atlanta, Georgia in 2022.
 
The Tigers (3-1) make the journey to the West Coast for the first of three out of state road trips after competing in the 2023 Trinity National Invitational where they dominated games against Birmingham-Southern, Whitworth, and University of Texas-Dallas and took their one loss against University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. 
 
Senior middle blocker Maddie Fate (Croton on Hudson, New York / Croton Harmon) was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Defensive Player of the Week for her performances in last weekend's contests, which included two 5 block games.
 
AVCA Rankings
 
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) kept the Tigers in the top 10 of its national NCAA III rankings Tuesday afternoon after their tough loss to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, moving into the sixth spot in the nation. Region 10 rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (CA) got bumped up to the No. 2 spot after starting 2023 at No. 3.
 
SCAC Player of the Week: Maddie Fate, Defensive
 
Fate's 18 total blocks on the weekend helped the Tigers prove that they were to be feared once again when trying to attack the ball. Her top performance came against the Tigers three-set sweep over Birmingham-Southern College, where she totaled 5 blocks; 3 solo and 2 assisted.
 
Hot off the heels of a successful 2022 season, where the Tigers collected 5 of 9 Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Fate is the first Tiger to be selected as the SCAC Player of the Week for the 2023 campaign.
 
Preview: 2023 East-West Battle - Claremont, California
 
The nationally-prominent tournament shifts to the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the 2023 edition. 
 
The Tigers open up the tournament with Cal Lutheran University on Friday, September 8th at 11:30 AM (PT) and then face No. 17 Tufts at 6:00 PM (PT). Both these matches will prime the Tigers for their clash against No. 2 ranked Claremont-M-S.
 
After last weekend's performance, Trinity ranks in the top 20 nationally for total team blocks (31). Maddie Fate ranks 11th nationally for blocks per set (1.38).
 
The 2022 Freshman of the Year Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) leads the way with 33 total kills. The Tigers also had some newcomers who had standout performances. Sophomore Marissa Drange (Boerne, Texas / Champion) totals 31 kills and first-year Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) is right behind her with 30 kills.
 
On the Cal Lutheran Regals: The 2015 NCAA III Champion brings in a 1-3 record after dropping games to Gust. Adolphus, Willamette (Ore.), and UC Santa Cruz on their opening weekend. Freshman outside hitter Tarin Rueckert had an excellent opening weekend for the Royals, notching 42 kills and 6 service aces.
 
On the No. 17 Tufts Jumbos: After moving up one spot in the AVCA rankings, Tufts University brings in an 1-0 record, after their three-set sweep in the first game of the season against Roger Williams University. First-year outside hitter Claire Castor made a good impression during her first game, collecting 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage while also doing it from the service line with 3 aces.
 
On the No.2 Claremont-M-S Athenas: The host of this weekend's tournament, the Athenas bring in a 3-0 record after defeating Carthage, Wisconsin - Eau Claire, and SCAC opponent Southwestern in their opening weekend. Senior outside hitter leads the Athena offense with 48 kills, hitting at a .281 clip. The last matchup between these two teams was when the Tigers eliminated the then No. 1 Athenas in the 2022 NCAA III Regional Final.
 
Looking Ahead: Trinity Fall Classic (Sept. 15 and 16)
 
The Tigers return home to host the second tournament at Calgaard Gymnasium, which will feature matchups against Franklin & Marshall and Pomona-Pitzer on Friday. Then the Tigers will face Whittier College and No. 13 MIT on Saturday. Broadcast and live stats coverage for the entire tournament will be available on TrinityTigers.com.