San Antonio, Texas – The No. 8 Trinity University Volleyball team capped off its regular season with an electric 3–1 home victory over Hardin-Simmons University, carrying strong momentum into next weekend's Southern Athletic Association Championship.
Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) paced the Tigers with 15 kills, 11 digs, and 4 service aces, proving a constant threat from both the front and back row.
Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) led the attack with 17 kills on a stellar .500 hitting percentage, adding 2 digs and a block in one of her most efficient performances of the season.
Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, N.M. / Horizon) dominated the middle with 10 kills, 8 blocks, and 3 service aces, delivering impact plays that swung momentum throughout the match.
Marissa Drange (Boerne, Texas / Boerne Champion) continued her consistent production with 10 kills and 5 digs, finding seams in the Hardin-Simmons defense and keeping the offense balanced.
Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) contributed 6 kills and 4 blocks, giving the Tigers timely sparks at the net to help seal the 3–1 home victory.
Trinity outpowered Hardin-Simmons with 62 kills on a .234 hitting percentage while limiting the Cowgirls to .171. The Tigers also showcased superior defense and serving, tallying 75 digs and 8 aces to maintain momentum and close out the 3–1 win at home.
The Rundown
Trinity shook off an early 3–0 deficit with a quick response as Whatley sparked momentum with a kill followed by a service ace to tie it at 3–3. The Tigers found rhythm soon after, fueled by a 4–0 surge that included kills from Drange and
Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, Calif. / Viewpoint) and a service ace from
Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) to move ahead 7–4. The Cowgirls clawed back to even things at 10–10, but the Tigers' front line quickly shut the door as McCarthy recorded consecutive blocks that ignited a dominant stretch. From there, Trinity unleashed an 8–1 run powered by sharp setting from
Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek), a well-placed ace from McCarthy, and clinical finishes from Pope and Whatley to storm ahead 18–11. Hardin-Simmons mounted a brief rally to narrow the gap to 21–18, prompting a timeout from Head Coach
Julie Jenkins, but the Tigers held firm. Pope slammed home a kill off a perfect DeRivel set, and Drange followed with another to steady the attack. McWilliams then capped the set with a composed finish from Dhayer to secure the 25–19 win and a 1–0 match lead for Trinity.
Trinity carried its momentum into the second set, striking first as Pope opened with a clean kill from Dhayer to set the tone. The Tigers quickly took control behind sharp serving and balanced attacking, with McCarthy and McWilliams combining for a block to help establish an early lead. Whatley then took over at the service line, delivering back-to-back aces and adding a kill in a dominant stretch. Though the Cowgirls managed to stop the run with a few well-placed swings, Trinity's offense remained in rhythm. Dhayer orchestrated the attack with precision, finding Pope and Whatley for clean finishes that pushed the score to 13–7. McCarthy followed with back-to-back kills through the middle, and McWilliams added another to extend the lead to 17–13 and keep the Tigers firmly in control. Hardin-Simmons fought back with a brief run, but Trinity held their ground as Whatley, Drange, and Pope each delivered timely kills to fend off the pressure and preserve a 22–20 lead. From there, the Tigers locked in defensively, forcing two key Cowgirl errors before Pope hammered down one final kill to seal the 25–20 win and give Trinity a commanding 2–0 match lead.
The third set proved to be the most hard-fought of the night, with both teams battling through long rallies and momentum swings from start to finish. Trinity struck first as Starr opened with two early kills to energize the offense, and Pope followed with consecutive finishes from DeRivel to push the Tigers ahead 6–2. Hardin-Simmons trimmed the margin, but Trinity steadied as Drange produced two key kills through the middle to keep the Tigers in front, extending the lead to 9–6. The Cowgirls then mounted a steady push, capitalizing on a series of tight exchanges and strong serving to pull even at 15–15, setting the stage for the most competitive stretch of the match. Whatley took control of the offense with three crucial kills that kept Trinity level through the middle of the set, and McCarthy added a perfectly placed service ace to give the Tigers a narrow 20–19 advantage. The intensity only grew late on as Trinity earned set point, but Hardin-Simmons dug deep to extend play and level the frame at 25–25. Drange, McCarthy, and Whatley each came through with critical kills to keep the Tigers alive in extra points, tying the score again at 28–28 before the Cowgirls managed to edge out the final two rallies to take the set 30–28.
Trinity came out determined to finish strong, battling point for point with Hardin-Simmons in a tense fourth set. Early kills from Starr, Pope, and McCarthy kept the Tigers level through 4–4, while steady setting from DeRivel helped the offense stay in rhythm. Drange found space through the middle to tie it at 6–6 before Hardin-Simmons pieced together a small run to go ahead 9–6. Trinity refused to let the momentum slip, responding with kills from Whatley and McWilliams to draw even at 11–11. From there, the teams traded points until McCarthy's well-placed service ace pushed Trinity in front 14–13. Pope added a clean finish from Dhayer to make it 16–14, but a strong Hardin-Simmons serving run flipped the score to 21–17. McCarthy then took over late, delivering consecutive kills to pull the Tigers back to 22–22 in what became a tense finish as Hardin-Simmons battled to stay alive. Trinity's composure held firm, and a final block from Lanik and McCarthy sealed the 25–23 win—closing out the regular season with another home victory, their tenth of the year.
Up Next
The Tigers travel to Atlanta, GA, next weekend to compete in the Conference Championship, where they are entering as the top seeded team after yesterday's win against Southwestern.
