The Tigers landed in Georgia on the night of Nov. 14, awaiting the first day of the SAA tournament. Trinity was seeded first, giving them a first game bye. The afternoon of Nov. 15, Trinity won in the semifinals against Centre College, but then lost the championship match against Berry College.
The score remained close in the beginning of the first set against Centre, until juniors Connelley McWilliams and Lauren McCarthy put up two back-to-back blocks at the net to take the score to 8-6. The Tigers stretched the lead to 15-11, which was complimented by an ace from senior Reagan Whatley, and sophomore Taylor Starr struck a hit down the middle of the court to bring the score to 18-12. After sophomore Annabelle Lanik served an ace, Trinity took the first set 25-15.
“Blocking is one of the biggest momentum killers. When you get blocked, I can say from experience, it’s a hard thing to recover from,” McCarthy said. “So, we know when we’re blocking well that is going to affect the energy of our opponents.”
Centre tried to fight back in the second set, but senior Jenna Rodriguez’s returns caused them to make errors, allowing Trinity to take a 3-1 lead early into the second set. Trinity delivered multiple kills, helping them win the set. Junior middle blocker Courtney Pope said the connection between the person passing the ball is essential in delivering a strong offensive attack. Junior setter Kendall DeRivel looked at Pope before setting the ball for Pope to create a “defensive split,” where the other team’s blockers separate, leaving a window for the offense to score.
“When our passing is super on, our setters can run a quicker offense, and that causes a split in the blocks on the other side,” Pope said. “The whole team was super intense, and that really kind of builds adrenaline inside of you, just wanting the ball and wanting to do something with it, and I think everyone just really boosted me and helped me do my best.”
Centre responded in the third set with an early lead, but the Tigers kept the game within a couple of points. Starr, DeRivel and Pope each delivered a kill to tighten the game. Centre went on a nine-point serving run to take control of the game at 15-7. The Colonels kept the lead for the rest of the set and won 25-18.
Pope and Whatley came out swinging during the fourth set, each starting the game with a kill, McCarthy and McWilliams made blocks to maintain Trinity’s momentum. After Centre took the lead, first-year Lily Long, Starr and Pope delivered kills to regain a 21-19 lead. With a close game, Pope and Whatley put up a final block to take the match.
During the Tigers’ second and final day of the tournament, the Tigers were up against No. 19 Berry. While the Vikings swept Trinity, the three sets never strayed from a five-point game.
“Even though we didn’t have our best game, that was a very tight match we could have won, and that just shows the team we are,” Rodriguez said. “And so just cleaning up those errors for the next game, but in that moment, we really just couldn’t get on a roll.”
Berry took the SAA Championship 3-0 against Trinity after three matches. The first set ended 25-20, the second 25-21, and the third, 25-21. Pope said it’s difficult to beat a team three times in one season, noting the history the two programs have with each other.
“I think ultimately the result will make us better and it gives us something to work on, and even more passionate about the following weekends, and even more passion to go out there and win,” Pope said. “Not everyone will be handed to us, and we’re gonna have to fight for it. But we have something to stuff to work on, and once we do, we’ll be great.”
Rodriguez referred to a quote from Assistant Coach Brad Bulycz to explain how the four graduating seniors deal with their collegiate careers coming to an end soon. He tells them, “Don’t miss it twice.”
“We all live by that quote, because every practice and every game could be our last at this point, and we just want to stay present and work our butts off and practice in games for it not to be our last game,” Rodriguez said.
The Tigers’ season isn’t over yet. Thanks to their high ranking from their performances throughout the regular season, they earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Regional tournament. The Tigers will fly to the northeast to compete in the tournament hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.
*This story has been updated from a previous version with more detailed coverage.
