ROME, Ga. – The 10th-ranked Trinity University Volleyball team swept #9 Emory 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) to begin their weekend.
Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) led the Tigers with an outstanding performance, posting 16 kills on 34 attempts (.382) to go along with one ace and 17.5 total points.
Marissa Drange (Boerne, Texas / Boerne Champion) added 12 kills on an impressive .550 hitting percentage, also contributing a presence at the net with two block assists.
Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) followed with four kills and two total blocks, while
Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) added four kills and three blocks for 5.5 points.
Kendall DeRivel (Houston, Texas / Stratford) directed the offense with 14 assists, paired with two kills and an ace, rounding out a balanced all-around effort for the Tigers.
Trinity outperformed Emory across the board, posting a .295 hitting percentage compared to the Eagles .188. The Tigers totaled 42 kills on 105 attempts with just 11 errors, while holding Emory to 41 kills and 19 errors on 117 swings. Trinity also controlled the net with eight total blocks to Emory's four, highlighting a dominant performance.
The Rundown
Trinity opened the match well with a strong offensive performance, trading points with Emory following two kills from Whatley to open the game 6-6. The Tigers then started to show their dominance making a 6–0 run, highlighted by kills from Drange, and McWilliams, to pull ahead 12–6 and force an Emory timeout. Trinity's offense continued to assert itself through the set, with
Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, NM / Horizon), Whatley, and Drange making key kills that kept Emory from gaining momentum. To finish the set, DeRivel and Whatley closed it out with clinical kills, sealing a 25–18 opening-set victory for the Tigers.
The second set showed more of the same with a back-and-forth opening, however two kills from Whatley and one each from Pope and McCarthy produced a 7-5 start for Trinity. Precise serving and more offensive superiority meant Trinity flew ahead in the middle of the set making it 16-7. Despite a small fightback from the Eagles, Drange secured three kills to finish off the set 25-18 once more.
The Eagles attempted to stage a fightback at the beginning of the third set, capitalizing on Tiger mistakes and taking a 6-4 lead. The two teams traded points in the middle of the set, however three kills from Whatley and a powerful kill from Drange meant Trinity resumed control at 14-13. The Tigers were not fazed by a 4-0 run from the Eagles, with Drange contributing two vital kills to halt their momentum and take a 19-18 lead. McWilliams and McCarthy both made kills from precise DeRivel sets, with the set finished by another Whatley kill. Despite a more promising showing from the Eagles, a collection of mistakes was capitalized on by effective Tiger offense, resulting in a 25-22 final set.
Looking Ahead
Trinity looks to continue their unbeaten SAA record with fixtures against #14 Berry and Oglethorpe on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
