No. 8 Trinity Volleyball sets off on their 2024 campaign.
 
Last Season
 
Last season, the Tigers finished the season with a 31-5 (15-1 SCAC) record, an SCAC Championship, a Regional title, and their fourth-straight NCAA III Quarterfinal appearance. Trinity had Brette Thornton (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall) and Marisa Amarino (Calabasas, California / Notre Dame Prep) earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American honors while Maddie Fate (New York, New York / Croton Harmon) and Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) landed Second Team All-American accolades. Head Coach Julie Jenkins claimed SCAC Coach of the Year for the 16th time in her career and moved to second in NCAA III for total victories. Logan was named SCAC Player of the Year and Amarino won SCAC setter of the Year. TU put five players on the All-Conference list and four to All-Region. 
 
In conference play, the Tigers only dropped one match to Colorado College during the regular season. However, they came back with a vengeance and swept the other Tigers to claim the SCAC Crown. In the playoffs, Trinity got put into a tough regional, but they defeated two top-ten teams to advance and be one of the final 8 teams. Trinity finished third nationally in team assists (1,640) and fourth in team kills (1,739), team total attacks (4,848), and team total blocks (229.0). The Tigers also finished 8th in the final AVCA poll.
 
AVCA & SCAC Poll
 
In the national poll, the Tigers were voted as the 8th best team in the country. Juniata was placed in the top spot, with Hope in second. Future SAA foe Berry is 12th and Colorado College received votes. In a poll voted on by the SCAC head coaches, Trinity was picked as the favorite to win the 2024 SCAC Volleyball title. The Tigers received 10 of a possible 11 first-place votes, totaling 120 points. Colorado was ranked second with 102 points and one first-place vote. Texas Lutheran, St. Thomas, Southwestern, and Schreiner round out the top six. 
 
This Season
 
Despite losing Thornton and Amarino, Trinity brings back some big pieces. All-Americans Logan and Fate will be back in the front row. Defensively, Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) will likely fill the libero roll as she collected 391 digs last season, good enough for second on the team. 2022 SCAC Freshman of the Year Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands), sophomore Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon), Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek), and Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) will also look to make big splashes this season. 
 
The Tigers will open their 2024 schedule with the Trinity Fall Classic and SUNY-Cortland, East Texas Baptist, and the College of St. Benedict on August 30th and 31st. The Tigers will then take their squad to St. Louis on September 6th and 7th to play against Johns Hopkins, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and the University of Washington-St. Louis. To open up their SCAC schedule, Trinity will hit the road to play against Texas Lutheran and Southwestern on September 20th and 21st. After that, TU will head to New York on October 4th weekend to play against Smith College, Ithaca, and NYU. Trinity will close out their regular season schedule November 8th and 9th in Georgetown against Dallas, McMurry, and Centenary. The SCAC Championships will be held on November 15th and 16th in Sherman/Irving, Texas.
 
Preview - Trinity Fall Classic
 
The Tigers will be back in Calgaard against SUNY-Cortland on Friday, August 30th at 6:00 PM. The following day, Trinity will play against East Texas Baptist and the College of St. Benedict at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM. 
 
On the SUNY-Cortland Red Dragons: SUNY-Cortland concluded their 2023 season with an impressive 26-4 record and an NCAA III playoff appearance. The Red Dragons will return two of their top three hitters and their best defender from last season. Outside hitter Anna Pikey led with 309 kills, while middle blocker Alexa Guedez contributed 222 kills. As a team, Cortland ranked in the top 50 nationally for assists, blocks, kills per set, and total team blocks. The last matchup between these two teams was in 2013, when the Tigers swept the Red Dragons decisively. Historically, Trinity holds a 4-1 record against SUNY-Cortland. 
 
On the East Texas Baptist Tigers: The 2023 ASC champions ended their season with a 26-4 record. The Tigers, in blue and gold, were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs by 20th-ranked La Verne. ETBU is known for its strong attacking play. Junior Graycee Mosley, who had 505 kills last season and 466 in 2022, will lead the attack, along with senior Avery Reid, who contributed 339 kills last season. However, ETBU faces a significant challenge in replacing libero Lillie Hill, who recorded 563 digs last year. In their last matchup in 2021, Trinity dominated ETBU, extending their all-time record to 13-0 against them.
 
On the College of St. Benedict Bennies: The Bennies finished their season with a 17-10 record and faced six top-25 teams, though they only managed one win and won just five sets in those matches. This season, St. Benedict will return two hitters who each had over 200 kills last year, along with their all-around setter. In their most recent meeting in 2019, the Tigers defeated the Bennies in four sets, with three of those sets being decided by four points or fewer. Historically, the Tigers have a 2-3 record against the College of St. Benedict.
 
Up Next
 
Trinity will travel to Missouri to play against Johns Hopkins, CMS, and WashU on September 6th & 7th.