No. 15 Tiger Volleyball starts Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play this weekend.
The Tigers (5-4) finished the 2024 Trinity National Invitational with a 2-1 record. After dropping their first match to Endicott, Trinity came back to win against Covenant College and Eastern University.
Mackenzie Logan (Calgary, Canada / Bishop Carroll) had 60 kills on 132 attempts while only committing 13 errors (.348 hitting percentage).
Maddie Fate (New York, New York / Croton Harmon) had 30 kills during the tournament to go along with 3.5 blocks.
Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's) led Trinity defensively with 34 digs. The Tigers finished second in the tournament. Logan and Fate were named All-Tournament.
SCAC Offensive Player of the Week - Mackenzie Logan
For the second time this season, fifth-year outside hitter
Mackenzie Logan has been named SCAC Offensive Player of the Week.
From the SCAC Press Release:
Logan led the 11th-ranked Tiger volleyball team to a 2-1 record at the Trinity National Invitational last weekend, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Logan piled up incredible numbers for Trinity in the three matches this weekend, totaling 60 kills (4.62 per set) and a hitting percentage of .348 among 13 sets played. She started the tournament with a career-high 24 kills and a .568 hitting percentage in a narrow 3-2 loss to Endicott. Logan then posted a double-double with 20 kills and a career-high 13 digs in a 3-2 win over Eastern. She also had a career-best three service aces in the win over Eastern.
Overall, Logan is averaging 3.95 kills per set and has a hitting percentage of .271 after three weeks of the 2024 season.
SCAC Setter of the Week - Jozie Dhayer
For the first time in her career, junior setter
Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) has been selected as the SCAC Setter of the Week.
From the SCAC Press Release:
Dhayer led the 11th-ranked Tigers to a 2-1 weekend record at the Trinity National Invitational, with the team finishing second overall at the tournament. Dhayer led Trinity to a team hitting percentage of .305 for the weekend, while averaging 5.62 assists per set as a three-rotation setter (averaging 5.14 assists/set for the season). She also added five kills and 25 digs, posting double-doubles in both of the Tiger victories.
AVCA Poll
In the national poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), the Tigers are ranked 15th. Juniata still remains in the top spot, while Johns Hopkins jumps into second. Wisconsin-Whitewater, Hope, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh round out the top five. Regional rival East Texas Baptist is 17th and SCAC foe Southwestern is 23rd.
Preview - SCAC Opener
The Tigers will start SCAC play in Seguin against Texas Lutheran on Friday, September 20th at 5:00 PM. The next day, Trinity will be in Georgetown against Southwestern on Saturday, September 21st at noon.
On the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs: The Bulldogs have gotten out to a 6-4 start. Trinity got an early look at TLU when they competed in the Trinity Fall Classic. During that tournament, the Bulldogs lost to Cortland and East Texas Baptist but picked up a win against St. Benedict. Since then, Texas Lutheran has gone 5-2, including a win against UT-Dallas. The Tigers will have to watch out for senior outside hitter Brylie Nedd who is averaging 3.38 kills per set this season. However, Texas Lutheran does hit at a high percentage, only hitting .189 so far. Senior Libero Faith Coldewey is averaging an outstanding 5.45 digs per set, good enough to be ranked 37th nationally. The Tigers swept the previous matchup last season to bring their all time record to 41-10 against TLU.
On the No. 23 Southwestern Pirates: The Pirates are off to a great start, posting a 9-1 overall record. Southwestern's lone loss came at the hands of a very talented Hardin-Simmons squad in five sets. The Pirates are getting lots of help from their big block. As a team, SW ranks 14th in blocks per set (2.40) and junior middle blocker Lily McWhorter is 22nd nationally in total blocks (30). Carly Berkman has 120 kills (3.24 kills/set) on a .245 hitting percentage. The Tigers will need to limit her success and force other players to step up. Trinity swept the most recent matchup last year, bringing the record against Southwestern to 61-18 all time.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will be on the road against Schreiner on September 27th.
