GEORGETOWN, Texas — No. 15 Trinity University volleyball picked up two important Southern Athletic Association (SAA) victories on Saturday, defeating Sewanee (TN) 3-1 before rallying for a five-set win over host Southwestern University (TX) to close out the SAA pod at the Corbin J. Robertson Center.
The Tigers (12-5, 4-3 SAA) opened the day with a 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18 victory over Sewanee (7-8, 3-4) before battling back from an early deficit to defeat Southwestern (13-6, 4-3) 18-25, 27-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-11 in the evening match.
Sophomore Lily Long (Glenview, Ill. / New Trier) led Trinity with 27 kills across the two matches, including a match-high 16 against Southwestern. Senior Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) added 22 kills on the day, while senior Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, N.M. / Horizon) contributed 22 kills and 13 total blocks to lead the Tigers at the net.
Match One: Trinity 3, Sewanee 1
Trinity opened the day with a strong all-around performance against Sewanee, using an effective offensive attack and a dominant blocking effort to secure the four-set victory.
The Tigers took the opening set 25-22 before Sewanee evened the match with a 25-23 win in the second. Trinity responded by taking control in the third set, hitting .324 with 14 kills and just three errors to earn a 25-18 win. The Tigers maintained that momentum in the fourth, hitting .346 with 13 kills to close out the match by the same score.
Pope and Long paced the offense with 11 kills apiece, while sophomore Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) added 10 kills and hit .368. Pope was especially efficient, hitting .556 for the match.
Trinity's defense proved equally important, as the Tigers recorded 10 total blocks to Sewanee's four. Pope led the way with seven block assists, while McCarthy finished with six total blocks and Taylor Starr added four.
Junior Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's) contributed three service aces and led the Tigers with nine digs. Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, Calif. / Viewpoint) finished with 18 assists, while Anna Verhoff (Milton, Ga. / Milton) added 13 as Trinity hit .276 as a team and limited Sewanee to a .134 hitting percentage.
Match Two: Trinity 3, Southwestern 2
The Tigers faced a tougher challenge against host Southwestern, overcoming a first-set loss and a late setback in the fourth to earn a hard-fought five-set victory.
Southwestern opened the match with a dominant 25-18 win, hitting .545 with 20 kills and just two errors. Trinity answered in the second set, battling through a close finish to claim a 27-25 victory and even the match.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the third set, recording 15 kills while hitting .308 to take a 25-18 win and move within a set of victory. Southwestern responded with a 25-20 decision in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set.
Trinity delivered when it mattered most, taking the final set 15-11 to secure its second victory of the day and complete the SAA doubleheader sweep.
Long led the Tigers with 16 kills and six service aces, while McCarthy added 13 kills and seven total blocks. Pope contributed 11 kills, and McWilliams chipped in four block assists.
Lanik anchored the back row with 25 digs, while Long added nine digs. Verhoff paced the offense with 26 assists, and DeRivel finished with 21 assists and three service aces.
Trinity finished with 13 service aces against Southwestern, compared to eight for the Pirates, and edged Southwestern 7-6 in total blocks. The Tigers also hit .286 in the deciding set while limiting the Pirates to a .083 hitting percentage.
The two victories give Trinity a 4-3 record in SAA play, providing important momentum as the Tigers continue their conference schedule.
Up Next
Trinity will finish off the weekend away from home by taking on Maryville College (TN) at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
