MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Trinity University Volleyball battled back from an opening-set loss to defeat Sewanee in four sets (21-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-21) on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers (18-8, 10-6 SAA) used a dominant second set and timely scoring runs throughout the final two frames to secure the victory.
Leading the Tigers was senior
Courtney Pope (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon), who finished with a match-high 20 kills while hitting .500.
Connelley McWilliams (Austin, Texas / St. Michael's) added 13 kills on an impressive .722 hitting percentage, while
Lily Long (Glenview, Illinois / New Trier) contributed 13 kills and four service aces.
Lauren McCarthy (Corrales, New Mexico / Horizon) also recorded four aces,
Kendall DeRivel (Westlake Village, California / Viewpoint) dished out 28 assists, and
Brynn Bishop (Indianola, Iowa / Indianola) collected 12 digs. As a team, Trinity hit .299 and totaled 15 service aces.
The Rundown
The Tigers opened the match with an early lead, but Sewanee put together a four-point run to turn a 7-6 Trinity advantage into a 10-7 deficit. Sewanee capitalized on two Trinity attack errors and a service ace during the stretch. Trailing 13-9, the Tigers responded with three consecutive points behind a kill from Pope, a Sewanee attack error, and a kill from
Taylor Starr to pull within one. However, Sewanee answered later in the set with another three-point run to extend its lead to 20-15. Despite late kills from Long,
Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's), and Pope, the Tigers dropped the opening set, 25-21.
Trinity came out firing in the second set, opening with three unanswered points behind a block from Long and Starr and a kill from Pope. After Sewanee responded with four straight points, the Tigers regained control with a three-point run highlighted by two Pope kills to take a 6-4 lead. Holding a narrow 9-7 advantage, Trinity exploded for eight consecutive points to blow the set open. McCarthy was electric from the service line, recording four aces during the run, while Long added two kills and Starr and McWilliams combined for a block to extend the lead to 17-7. Sewanee answered with three straight points, but the Tigers later delivered another four-point run, featuring kills from DeRivel and Pope, to push the advantage to 23-12. Trinity evened the match with a commanding 25-14 second-set victory.
Sewanee jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, forcing Trinity to battle from behind. Trailing 9-6, the Tigers strung together three consecutive points behind a Long kill, a Bishop service ace, and a McWilliams kill to tie the set at nine. After Sewanee used a three-point run to take a 13-11 advantage, Trinity responded with three unanswered points of its own. Long started the rally with a kill,
Amelia Payton (Acworth, Georgia / Harrison) followed with a solo block, and Pope delivered another kill to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead. The two teams continued to trade points before Sewanee moved ahead 18-17. From there, Trinity took over with a crucial five-point run. McWilliams started the surge with a kill before Payton delivered two service aces, while McWilliams and Starr teamed up for a block to help push the Tigers ahead 22-18. Trinity held off Sewanee down the stretch to take the third set, 25-21.
The Tigers wasted little time establishing momentum in the fourth set, scoring the opening four points behind kills from Long and McCarthy, along with two consecutive service aces from Long. Sewanee responded with a three-point run to cut Trinity's lead to 5-4 before eventually taking an 8-7 advantage. However, the Tigers answered with four straight points, highlighted by kills from Long and McWilliams and a service ace from Bishop, to reclaim an 11-8 lead. Leading 13-11, Pope took control of the offense, hammering three consecutive kills, all assisted by DeRivel, to extend the Trinity advantage to 16-11. Sewanee continued to fight, cutting the deficit to 21-19, but the Tigers maintained their composure. With match point on the line, Pope delivered the final kill to seal the fourth set, 25-21, and complete the four-set victory.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will be back at home for Senior and Parent weekend as the play McMurry and Hardin-Simmons on November 5
th and 6
th.
