SAN ANTONIO — No. 16 Trinity Volleyball (13-5, 5-3 SAA) travels to Danville, Kentucky, this weekend for a three-match SAA pod at Centre. The Tigers face Oglethorpe and host No. 5 Centre on Friday, then close the pod against No. 10 Berry on Saturday.

The Tigers swept all three matches at last weekend's Southwestern pod, beating Sewanee in four sets, Southwestern in five and Maryville in three. They have won three straight and sit tied for third in the SAA standings with Southwestern at 5-3, behind Berry (8-1) and Centre (7-1). Sophomore Lily Long (Glenview, Ill. / New Trier) led the Tigers' attack with 39 kills across the three matches, and senior Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) added 26. Senior Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, N.M. / Horizon) totaled 25 kills and a team-best 17 blocks, earning her second SAA Athlete of the Week honor of the season.

AVCA Poll
Trinity is No. 16 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III poll, down one spot from No. 15 a week ago. Illinois Wesleyan (16-1) holds the top spot, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (19-2) is No. 2. Two of this weekend's opponents are ranked: Centre jumped three spots to No. 5 and received three first-place votes, while Berry moved up one spot to No. 10. 

This Weekend
The Tigers open against Oglethorpe on Friday, Oct. 16, at 1:30 p.m. CT, then face host Centre at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Colonels' Homecoming Weekend "White Out." They close the pod against Berry on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10:00 a.m. CT. All three matches are at Alumni Gym.

On Oglethorpe:
The Stormy Petrels are 4-15 overall and 0-9 in the SAA, and they come in on a 12-match losing streak under first-year head coach Mara Suarez. Oglethorpe opened 4-3 with wins over Piedmont, Huntingdon, Principia and Centenary, but its last win came Sept. 12, and it went 0-3 at last weekend's home pod against Rhodes, Berry and Millsaps. The roster is young, with eight freshmen and no seniors. Freshman outside hitter Jane Pennington leads the team with 130 kills, and sophomore middle blocker Madison Thompson leads it with 38.0 blocks. Trinity is 38-0 all-time against Oglethorpe and has won every meeting since the series began in 1991, including a 3-0 sweep in San Antonio on Sept. 26 and sweeps of both 2025 meetings.

On Centre:
The Colonels are 15-1 overall and 7-1 in the SAA, and they come in on a five-match winning streak after sweeping Rhodes and Millsaps last weekend in Atlanta. Their only loss is a five-set match at Trinity on Sept. 26. Centre's résumé includes a 3-1 win over then-No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan and a five-set win at then-No. 8 Berry on Oct. 2, and it plays Hanover on Wednesday before hosting the pod. Sophomore outside/opposite Kendra Christopher leads the team with 186 kills and was named SAA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 5, while freshman setter Elle B Smith has 597 assists. Trinity leads the all-time series 41-2 and has won the last five meetings, including a 3-2 comeback win in San Antonio on Sept. 26 after trailing 2-0, and a 3-1 win in the 2025 SAA Tournament.

On Berry:
The Vikings are 15-3 overall and 8-1 in the SAA, first in the conference standings, and they come in on a five-match winning streak after going 3-0 at last weekend's Oglethorpe pod. Berry's losses came to Ithaca and Saint Benedict in nonconference play and to Centre in five sets on Oct. 2. Its wins include a five-set victory over Tufts, a four-set win over Emory and a 3-1 win over Trinity in the SAA opener on Sept. 25. Senior outside hitter Keira Kruk was named both SAA Offensive Athlete of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week this week, and senior right side Madie Whitehead leads the team with 227 kills and earned the same national honor on Sept. 8. Trinity leads the all-time series 7-2, but Berry has won the last two meetings: a 3-1 decision in San Antonio on Sept. 25 and a 3-0 sweep in the 2025 SAA Championship final.

Up Next
Trinity returns home for the second SAA pod on Oct. 23-24 at Julie Jenkins Court, hosting Millsaps (Friday, 11:00 a.m. CT), Southwestern (Friday, 6:00 p.m. CT) and Rhodes (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. CT).