SAN ANTONIO - No. 16 Tiger Volleyball finishes a perfect weekend with another sweep.
 
The Tigers (9-3, 3-0 SAA) picked up a dominant 3-0 win over Rhodes College to close out their first-ever Southern Athletic Association (SAA) games of the season. Reagan Whatley (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) led the Tigers offensively with 15 kills on 33 attacks (.424). This is Whatley's 11th game this season with 10 or more kills. Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) had eight kills today on 15 swings, putting up an absurd .533 hitting percentage. Libero Jenna Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas / Antonian) led the day with 10 digs and even added a kill. Anna Verhoff (Milton, Georgia / Milton) was the top setter of the day, totaling 12 assists. As a team, the Tigers had seven blocks, eight aces, and 45 total kills today. 
 
The Rundown

Trinity quickly found its rhythm in the opening set, leaning on aggressive serving and a well-balanced attack to grab control early. After a sideout kill from Pope off a set from Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, California / Viewpoint), the Tigers erased an early deficit as Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) and Whatley each hammered kills from Jenna Rodriguez to even the score at 4–4. From there, Trinity's serve pressure took over. Whatley delivered back-to-back kills from DeRivel, and Taylor Starr (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) followed with consecutive aces to spark a 5–0 run that pushed the Tigers ahead 10–6.

Once in front, the Tigers never looked back. Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, New Mexico / Horizon) ignited a decisive 7-point avalanche with a kill from DeRivel, followed by a Whatley transition swing that forced Rhodes to scramble. Starr and Pope teamed up for a block, Rodriguez landed an ace, and Pope added back-to-back kills from Rodriguez and McCarthy. Whatley and Starr capped the surge with another roof to blow the set open at 19–9. Down the stretch, Sophia Burke (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek) pounded home a quick set from Jozie Dhayer (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek), and Aeris Vera (San Antonio, Texas / Pieper) dropped her first-career ace. Vera and McWilliams then combined for a block to bring up set point, and McWilliams sealed it with a clean kill as Trinity cruised to a 25–13 win in the opener.

The Tigers carried their momentum into the second frame, setting the tone right away with early serving runs. With Brynn Bishop (Indianola, Iowa / Indianola) at the line, Whatley opened with a kill from Verhoff, then McCarthy and Whatley teamed up for a block. Another Lynx misfire stretched the run to 3–0 and gave Trinity full command (3–0). The Tigers continued to pile it on as Whatley scored again from Verhoff, Pope crushed a perfect set, and Whatley followed with another kill for a second 3–0 burst (6–1). A few rallies later, Pope delivered a strong sideout from Verhoff, Dhayer ripped an ace, and then set up Whatley for another quick score to make it 9–2. Rhodes tried to respond, but a service error opened the door for Trinity's biggest run of the set. A forced Lynx miscue, a kill by Marissa Drange (Boerne, Texas / Boerne Champion), another error, and a Whatley ace stretched the lead to 14–4. Rhodes battled back with a late push, but McCarthy hammered down the final point to clinch the set 25–19 and give the Tigers a commanding 2–0 lead.

With the match in sight, Trinity's balance of blocking, serving, and attacking closed the door in the third set. Starr struck in transition from Verhoff, then joined Drange for a block before Drange finished off a set from Verhoff to cap a 3–0 swing (5–2). Starr added another kill, and two more Lynx errors extended the lead with another 3–0 run (8–3). The Tigers continued applying pressure as Pope ripped a kill from Rodriguez, Whatley scored on a quick set from DeRivel, and another error capped a 4–0 push (14–10). Any hope of a Rhodes rally ended late when Trinity strung together five straight points: two miscues from the Lynx, back-to-back McWilliams kills from Rodriguez, and a Whatley ace that stretched the margin to 20–12. Madison Smith (Gunter, Texas / Gunter) fittingly finished off the night with the final kill, as the Tigers wrapped up the sweep with a 25–16 victory.

Up Next

The Tigers will travel to Mount Berry, Georgia for more SAA action on September 27th and 28th.