No. 18 Tiger Volleyball sets their sights on an Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship this weekend.
 
Last weekend, the Tigers (21-6, 14-1 SCAC) won all three matches last weekend. After defeating the University of Dallas in four sets, the squad swept McMurry and Centenary to close out the regular season. Trinity had three different kill leaders during each match. Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) led the way with 12 kills against Dallas, while Maddie Fate (New York, New York / Croton Harmon) had a team-high 11 kills on a .647 hitting percentage against McMurry. In the final regular season game against Centenary, freshman Angelica Medina (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) tallied a season best of seven kills. At the end of the regular season, the Tigers rank sixth nationally in blocks per set (2.53) and fifth in team total blocks (258). 
 
AVCA Poll - Tigers At 18
 
In the national poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the Tigers were ranked 18th. Juniata remains in the top spot, with Hope also staying in second. Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh round out the top five. Regional rival East Texas Baptist is ranked 9th and SCAC foe Southwestern sits in 19th.
 
NCAA Power Index Rankings -  Tigers at 18
 
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).  Trinity is ranked 18th with an NPI of 62.621. Juniata is ranked first with an NPI of 77.754 and MIT is ranked second with an NPI of 73.538. SCAC rival Southwestern has an NPI of 59.337 and is ranked 43rd. 
 
Preview - SCAC Tournament
 
The Tigers are set to compete in the SCAC tournament on November 15th and 16th. Trinity will kick off the tournament against Schreiner on Friday, November 15th, at 10:30 AM. If they win, they'll face the winner of the Texas Lutheran vs. Austin College matchup later that day at 4:30 PM in Sherman, Texas. Trinity enters the tournament as the top overall seed in the gold division. Southwestern holds the second seed, with Texas Lutheran in third and St. Thomas as the fourth seed. In the blue division, Colorado claims the top seed, followed by Austin College in second, McMurry in third, and Schreiner in fourth.
 
On the Schreiner Mountaineers: The Mountaineers enter the tournament with a 12-14 overall record (4-10 SCAC), with conference wins over Centenary, Dallas, and Concordia (twice). However, Schreiner closed the season on a three-game losing streak, with losses to St. Thomas, Austin College, and Colorado College. Offensively, the Mountaineers have struggled with consistency, posting a team hitting percentage of .175. On the defensive side, though, they have managed to hold opponents to a .168 hitting percentage.
 
Gianna Hillard has been Schreiner's primary offensive force this season, recording 236 kills and averaging 2.68 kills per set. The Braxton twins, Taylor and Jordyn, have also contributed, each with over 100 kills. In their two matchups this season, the Tigers swept the Mountaineers, extending Trinity's perfect all-time record against Schreiner to 45-0.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The semi-final round of the SCAC tournament will be on November 15th at Austin College. The SCAC final will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, November 16th.