No. 21 Tiger Volleyball is back in Calgaard Gymnasium for a trio for their final home matches of the regular season. 
 
The Tigers (15-6, 8-1 SCAC) picked up two more conference wins last weekend. Trinity swept Schreiner on Thursday and then defeated Texas Lutheran in four sets on Friday. Maddie Fate (New York, New York / Croton Harmon) led the Tigers offensively with 20 total kills. Defensively, Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) was all over the court, collecting 53 digs. Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, California / Viewpoint) was the top setter for the Tigers on the weekend, totaling 51 assists including a career-high 32 assists against Texas Lutheran. The Tigers currently rank 7th nationally in blocks per set (2.51) and team total blocks (208.0). Fate and Taylor Starr (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) are both ranked 13th nationally in total blocks (85). 
 
TUVB Interestin' Facts
 
Coach Julie Jenkins | 1095 career wins | 1066 career wins at Trinity

• 2nd in Division III 
• 9th in all NCAA Divisions

Maddie Fate | 662 career kills | .376 career hit % | 430 career blocks

• 24th in career kills | Record: 1962 (Amy Waddell: 1990-93) | only 22 with 900+, 20 with 1000+
• 2nd in career % | Record: .387 (Emily Ellis: 2018-21)
• 8th in career blocks | Record: 569 (Erin Rice: 1994-97) | 9th with 400+ | only 3 with 500+

Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) | 1161 career assists

• 13th in career assists | Record: 5433 (Desiree Pratt: 1997-00) | 14th to reach 1,000

Jenna Rodriguez | 1179 career digs

• 24th in career digs | Record: 2015 (Sarah Mullens: 2015-18)

SCAC Offensive Player of the Week - Maddie Fate
 
For the first time in her career, Maddie Fate has been selected as the SCAC Offensive Player of the Week. 
 
From the SCAC Press Release:
 
Fate continued her dominance on the court in the 21st-ranked Tigers' two conference matches over the weekend. Fate totaled 20 kills (3.33 kills per set), a .357 hitting percentage, and 25.5 total points. Against Schreiner, Fate totaled seven kills (3.50 kills per set) and hit a staggering .500. Against Texas Lutheran, Fate collected 13 kills on a .300 hitting percentage (3.25 kills per set). Fate was also good defensively, totaling nine blocks. 
 
SCAC Defensive Player of the Week - Jenna Rodriguez
 
For the fourth time in her career, Jenna Rodriguez has been selected as the SCAC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
From the SCAC Press Release:
 
Rodriguez was all over the court defensively during Trinity's two victories last weekend as the junior recorded 53 digs and averaged 7.57 digs per set (her season average is 4.37). Against Schreiner, she totaled 19 digs (6.33), however, in her best match of the weekend against Texas Lutheran, Rodriguez totaled 34 digs (8.50 digs per set) and was just five digs away from tying Trinity's school record for digs in a match, a record that she holds. During that same match, she had the set- and game-winning service ace. 
 
NCAA Power Index Rankings - Tigers at 29
 
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings are the NCAA's new system for selecting the 12 at-large bids to the NCAA III Playoffs. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant). 
 
With that, the first NPI rankings for NCAA III Volleyball have come out this week. Trinity is ranked 29th with an NPI of 60.840. Juniata is ranked first with an NPI of 74.656 and MIT is ranked second with an NPI of 71.587. SCAC rival Southwestern has an NPI of 61.108 and is ranked 26th. The margin is close, as the difference between 19th and 10th is just 1.099 points. 
 
AVCA Rankings - Tigers at 21
 
In the national poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the Tigers were ranked 21st. Juniata remains in the top spot, with Hope also staying in second. Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Emory round out the top five. Regional rival East Texas Baptist is ranked 10th and SCAC foe Southwestern sits in 14th. 
 
Preview - Return to the (Cal)Gaarden
 
The Tigers will host three teams during their final homestand of the regular season. The stretch begins with a crucial matchup against Southwestern on Friday, October 25th at 6:00 PM, a game that will determine first place in the SCAC Gold Division standings. The following day, October 26th, Trinity will face non-conference opponent Randolph-Macon at noon. Later that same day, at 4:00 PM, the Tigers will play their final home game of the regular season against Concordia.
 
On the No. 14 Southwestern Pirates: Southwestern has an impressive 17-2 (8-1 SCA) record this season. The Pirates have secured notable wins against teams like Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Pacific Lutheran. Their two losses came from five-set matches—one against Hardin-Simmons in September and another against Colorado in early October. Despite these setbacks, the Pirates have also won several close five-set matches against Schreiner, Texas Lutheran, and Hendrix.
 
Outside hitter Carly Berkman leads the team with 213 kills this season. However, junior middle blocker Lily McWhorter has been the Pirates' most effective player, tallying 122 kills with an impressive .348 hitting percentage and leading the team with 73 blocks. Her matchup at the net against All-American Maddie Fate promises to be exciting. In their last encounter, the Pirates defeated the Tigers in four sets, bringing the all-time series to 61-19 in favor of Trinity.
 
On the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets: The Yellow Jackets have a 10-8 (6-4 ODAC) record this season. So far, Randolph-Macon is 0-2 against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes. They were swept by Carnegie Mellon and also suffered a sweep against Washington & Lee. Looking ahead, the Yellow Jackets face a challenging schedule. On Wednesday, they will play Virginia Wesleyan, a team receiving votes, followed by nationally ranked Southwestern and Trinity on October 25th and 26th.
 
Randolph-Macon will rely heavily on junior outside hitter Kylie Wilhelmi, who has recorded 299 kills this season with a .244 hitting percentage. Together with freshman outside hitter Allison Lach, who has also contributed significantly, the duo accounts for 492 of Randolph-Macon's 787 total kills. If the Tigers can limit their impact during the match, they'll be in a good position to secure a win. The last time these teams met was in 2014, when the Tigers swept the Yellow Jackets. Trinity leads the all-time series 5-0 against Randolph-Macon.
 
On the Concordia Tornadoes: The newest member of the SCAC, Concordia, holds a 7-11 (2-5 SCAC) record this season. The Tornadoes have struggled against top teams, winning only two sets across five matches against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes. In SCAC play, Concordia has secured wins against Dallas and Centenary College. However, they have had trouble maintaining consistent offensive performance, with the team hitting just .139 overall. Their top hitter, Brooklynne Fitzgerald, has 189 kills but is hitting only .153. In their last matchup this season, the Tigers dominated Concordia in three sets, bringing the all-time series record to 19-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Looking Ahead

The Tigers will travel to Georgetown for their final conference matches of the regular season, starting with the University of Dallas on November 8th.