SHERMAN - No. 18 Tiger Volleyball wins their 22nd Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship.
The Tigers (24-6, 14-1 SCAC) took home the SCAC title by defeating the 19th-ranked Southwestern Pirates in four sets.
Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) led the Tigers offensively with 14 kills while
Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) was right behind her with 12 kills.
Maddie Fate (New York, New York / Croton Harmon) was just outside of double digits with nine kills. Not only did the Tigers have a great offense, but their defense was excellent as well. The Tigers would've been able to build a new subdivision with all the roofs that they had. As a team, they had 15 blocks, with Fate having 4.5 total blocks and Pope collecting 3.5 total blocks. Trinity also had four players with double digit digs.
Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) led the way with 24 digs and
Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, California / Viewpoint) bagged a new career-high 17 digs.
Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) had 12 digs while
Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's) collected 10. Fate, Pope, and Rodriguez were named to the SCAC All-Tournament team and
Mackenzie Logan was named Tournament MVP for the first time in her career.
Reliving The Match
With a few extra hours of rest before the match, the Tigers came out energized, jumping to an 8-2 lead highlighted by two blocks and an ace from
Jenna Rodriguez. Despite Southwestern's efforts to close the gap, Trinity maintained firm control. Kills by
Maddie Fate and
Courtney Pope, combined with a Pirates' service error, extended the score to 17-13. Fate and Pope delivered back-to-back points again, bringing the Tigers within four points of a critical opening-set victory. Trinity sealed the set in style, sending the final ball back where it came from to secure a 25-20 win.
The Pirates came out strong in set two, building a 10-6 lead early. Despite Trinity closing the gap, Southwestern answered with a decisive 8-1 run, extending their lead to 10 points. The Tigers battled fiercely, but the deficit proved insurmountable, as the Pirates claimed set two with a 25-15 victory.
This match was destined to be a battle, and set three proved it as both teams traded blows early. The Pirates built a commanding 14-7 lead that might have caused most teams to falter. But the Pirates seemed to forget they were up against the Trinity Tigers, and as Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over." A
Maddie Fate kill sparked a 6-1 Trinity run, cutting the deficit to 15-13. After Southwestern added a point, the Tigers surged again.
Mackenzie Logan delivered not one, not two, but three kills in a rally that gave Trinity the lead. The two teams continued to exchange points until Southwestern broke through with consecutive points to go ahead 21-20. The Tigers were unfazed and scored four straight to reach set point. The Pirates' outside hitter tried to keep the set alive, but she was denied by the hands of
Maddie Fate and
Courtney Pope. The blocked ball hit the floor, and the Trinity bench erupted in excitement as the Tigers secured a hard-fought 25-22 victory in set three
With the SCAC Championship in sight, the Tigers huddled together, listening to the encouraging words of head coach
Julie Jenkins. The set opened with both teams locked in a tug of war for the lead. But after a crucial service error by the Pirates, Trinity found their moment to strike.
Maddie Fate sent the ball to the floor, pushing the score to 8-5. Southwestern's hitters, now as rattled as Pirates lost in the Bermuda Triangle, committed three hitting errors, allowing Trinity to stretch their lead to 11-5. The Tigers made a final push, scoring four straight points and bringing the trophy within arm's reach. After a kill from
Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's), a combined block from McWilliams and Fate, and a Southwestern attack error, the Tigers were one point away from victory. Lanik set up McWilliams on the right side, and Connelley drove the ball to the floor. The squad erupted with joy, finishing the weekend with celebratory hugs as they earned the title of 2024 SCAC Champions.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will learn who their opponent is through the NCAA III Volleyball Selection Show, airing on Monday, November 18th at 1:00 PM (ET).
