No. 12 Tiger Volleyball is back at Julie Jenkins Court for the 2025 Trinity National Invitational.
 
The Tigers (5-1) swept the weekend at the Captains Challenge hosted by Christopher Newport University. The Tigers placed first in the tournament and Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) and Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) were named Co-MVP. Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) also earned an All-Tournament team honor. Statistically, Whatley totaled the most kills with 47, while Pope turned in 33. Defensively, Rodriguez amassed 53 total digs, while Whatley and Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, California / Viewpoint) had 37 and 33 digs. Nationally, the Tigers rank fifth in assists per set (13.11) and fifth in kills per set (13.74).
 
SAA Player of the Week - Reagan Whatley
 
For the first time this season, senior Reagan Whatley has been named as the SAA Player of the Week.
 
From the SAA Press Release:
 
Whatley was named the Co-MVP of the Captains Classic Tournament as 12th-ranked Trinity went undefeated over the two-day event that was hosted by Christopher Newport University. Whatley led the team with 47 kills (4.70 per set) and hit .330 on 115 attacks across her 10 sets played. She began the weekend by posting a 20-20 match, finishing with a career-high 21 kills and a season-best 21 digs to average 7.0 per set in both. This weekend marked the first time in Whatley's career that she had 20+ kills, while it was just the fifth time in her career to reach 20+ digs. She also added four aces and six blocks to her weekend to lead the team to the three wins.
 
AVCA Poll - Tigers at 12
 
In the national poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the Tigers are ranked 12th. Juniata remains in first place, with Wisconsin-Whitewater in second. Wisconsin-Oshkosh jumped into the third spot, while Johns Hopkins and La Verne round out the top five. Regional rival East Texas Baptist is currently ranked 10th and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is ranked 16th. SAA opponent Berry also jumped a few spots to 21st. 
 
Preview - Trinity National Invitational
 
The Tigers will open the 2025 National Invite against Northwestern-St. Paul on Friday, September 12th at 6:00 PM. Then, the squad will have a double header with Whitworth at 11:00 AM and East Texas Baptist at 5:00 PM.
 
On the Northwestern-St. Paul Eagles: The Eagles have opened the season with a 4-2 overall record through their first two weekends of play. They are 1-0 against ranked opponents after sweeping nationally ranked Millikin last weekend, but 0-2 against teams receiving votes, with losses to Coe College and the University of Dubuque. Senior middle blocker Marley Aune has been the catalyst for the Eagles, leading the team in kills (59), total blocks (37), and solo blocks (15). Offensively, the Eagles spread the workload, with five players recording 50 or more kills this season. On the national stage, they rank second in blocks per set (2.78) and fifth in total team blocks (64). The only previous meeting between these programs came in 2021 in San Antonio, when the Tigers swept the Eagles.
 
On the Whitworth Pirates: The Pirates are off to a 4-3 start this season. After an impressive 2-1 showing at their home tournament, Whitworth split four matches at the Whittier Invite, falling to La Verne and Chapman. With two of their top four hitters from last season gone, the Pirates have leaned heavily on senior outside hitter Amblessed Okemgbo, who is just five kills shy of 100 for the year. Okemgbo has recorded at least 30 attack attempts in every match, including 53 in a five-set battle against Northwest (WA). However, efficiency has been an issue—she has hit above .200 only once and has finished below .100 in four matches. In their last meeting in 2023, the Tigers topped the Pirates 3-1, evening the all-time series at 4-4 and extending their winning streak to three straight.
 
On the No. 10 ETBU Tigers: The defending ASC champions are off to a dominant 8-0 start this season. ETBU has swept all but two opponents and posted convincing wins over programs such as Colorado College and Concordia. Senior outside hitter Graycee Mosley has been the standout performer, recording 110 kills on a .296 hitting percentage while averaging 4.07 kills per set. She is complemented by freshman Lara Hornsby, who has tallied 73 kills and has hit over .300 in half of ETBU's matches. On the defensive side, Anita Hancock leads the way with 32 blocks (1.19 per set). The last meeting between these Tigers was a five-set thriller, with Trinity pulling away 15-8 in the decisive frame. Historically, TU is 14-0 all-time against ETBU, with only four of those contests extending beyond three sets.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers open up conference play in an Southern Athletic Association (SAA) crossover with Berry, Centre, and Rhodes on September 20th and 21st.