GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Top-seeded Trinity University won its record 21st Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference volleyball championship Saturday afternoon with a convincing 3-0 victory over third-seeded Colorado College in the title match of the 2023 SCAC Volleyball Tournament on the campus of Southwestern University. Official Championships Website | Photo Album | Tournament Stats | Interview w/ Trinity Head Coach Julie Jenkins and tournament MVP fifth-year libero Nadia Kern
Tournament MVP graduate libero Nadia Kern had 12 digs and four service aces for Trinity and helped organize the Tigers' defensive efforts that held Colorado College to a .116 attack percentage, its lowest since Oct. 7 and third-lowest of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Trinity jumped out quick with a dominant 25-14 victory in set one.
- After Colorado College scored five of the next six points to even the second set at 18, Trinity responded following a timeout to win seven of the next eight points and take the 25-19 second set victory.
- With its backs against the wall, Colorado College bounced back with its best effort of the match and led 5-3 in the early going, but Trinity responded with three straight points to take the 6-5 lead. Although they would even the match on five separate occasions, the Colorado Tigers would never take the lead and the Texas Tigers closed the match by scoring five of the last six points to take the third set, 25-21, and the conference crown.
- Trinity hit .452 in the third and final set and outhit CC .269 to .116 for the match.
TRINITY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Mackenzie Logan: 12 kills, .290 attack percentage, 3 digs
- Maddie Fate: 9 kills, .571 attack percentage, 1 block solo, 2 block assists
- Brette Thornton: 7 kills, .500 attack percentage, 2 digs, 1 block assist
- Marisa Amarino: 23 assists, 2 service aces, 7 digs
- Nadia Kern: 12 digs, 4 service aces, 2 assists
COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Carolyn Dormandy: 9 kills, 3 service aces, 6 digs, 1 block assist
- Jenny Jenks: 26 assists, 16 digs
- Isabella Lipacis: 7 kills, 1 service ace, 12 digs, 1 block assist
- Keeley Kandziora: 7 kills, .286 attack percentage, 3 digs, 1 block assist
- Brooke Brilliant: 8 kills, 1 service ace, 3 digs, 2 block solo, 1 block assist
NOTABLES
- The SCAC All-Tournament Team was announced following Sunday's championship match:
- Nadia Kern, Gr., L, Trinity (MVP)
- Marisa Amarino, Gr., S, Trinity
- Maddie Fate, Sr., MB, Trinity
- Jenny Jenks, Sr., S, Colorado College
- Isabella Lipacis, Sr. OH, Colorado College
- Julia Chew, Jr., S, Texas Lutheran
- Brooke Byer, Gr., OH, Schriener - Saturday's title match was the sixth time the two SCAC powerhouses have met with the conference tournament title on the line. Despite Saturday's loss, CC still holds a 4-2 advantage in the tournament title game match-ups. CC also leads the all-time tournament series with Trinity, 5-4.
- It also marked a record 22nd time Trinity has played in the conference tournament final and with Saturday's victory, the Tigers are now 14-8 all-time in those appearances. Seven of Trinity's 21 total conference championships came in the non-tournament era (2000-2006).
UP NEXT
The top-ranked team in the most recent NCAA Region X rankings, Trinity (28-4) earns the SCAC automatic qualifier to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship. Colorado College, which was fourth in the Region X rankings entering this weekend's tournament, falls to 18-11 and will await word of a possible at-large berth into the postseason. The SCAC has multiple teams earn bids to the NCAA Tournament for the last 17 years a postseason tournament has been played. The NCAA tournament selection show for Division III volleyball is scheduled for Monday, November 13 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
