SEGUIN, Texas -- Trinity fought back from an early one-set deficit by taking the next three to defeat Colorado College, 3-1, in the championship match of the 2019 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament. Official Championships Website | Postgame Interview
With the victory, the seventh-ranked TU Tigers (33-4) earned the league's automatic berth into next weekend's NCAA Tournament. Colorado College (30-4) will await word of its at-large berth when the brackets are announced on Monday.
Championship point as @TrinityUTigers defeats @CCTigers 3-1 in the finals of today's 2019 #SCACvb tournament. #SCACchamps #d3vb ���� pic.twitter.com/CKVNKG7XLN
— SCAC (@SCAC_Sports) November 10, 2019
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Colorado College took four of the first five points of the first set and never trailed, as the CC Tigers hit .318 to take the 25-22 win.
- Trinity took an 18-14 lead late in the second set before CC rallied to take the next five points, culminating with a Georgia Mullins kill, which gave Colorado College their first lead of the set at 19-18. CC was tantalizingly close to going up 2-0 but an overturned call on match point gave Trinity new life at 24 apiece and the Tigers won the next two points to even the match at 1-1.
- The third set was just as close as the second, with nine ties and three lead changes, as CC served for the match at 24-20. Trinity, however, won the next five points, on the strength of two Avery Tuggle kills, to go up 25-24 and hold on for the 27-25 win.
- Comparatively speaking, the fourth set was not as closely contested as Trinity hit .323 and led wire to wire to take the set, 25-17, and the match 3-1.
TRINITY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Avery Tuggle: 15 kills, 7 assists, 5 digs, 1 block assist
- Emily Ellis: 8 kills, 3 digs, 2 block solo, 2 block assists
- Emma Funk: 9 kills, 3 digs, 6 block assists, .348 hitting percentage
- Sami Lin: 25 digs, 3 assists
- Annie Rose Leggett: 4 kills, 19 digs, 1 block assist
COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lizzy Counts: 50 assists, 10 digs, 3 block assists
- Jordan Mullen: 10 kills, 10 digs
- Marguerite Spaethling: 21 kills, 3 block assists
- Georgia Mullins: 9 kills, 6 digs, 1 block solo, 3 block assists, .381 hitting percentage
NOTABLES
- The championship is the 19th for the Trinity volleyball program - the most by any volleyball program in SCAC history.
- Trinity's victory also snapped a three match losing streak to Colorado College in the SCAC finals. The CC Tigers had prevailed in the three previous title match-ups between the conference giants (2011, 2012 and 2017).
- It was the 12th tournament title for Trinity, also a SCAC record. Despite not joining the SCAC until 2007, Colorado College is second in tournament titles with five.
- The All-Tournament Team was announced following the championship match. The team included Elleanna McGown of Southwestern, Christine Royalty of Austin College, Georgia Mullins of Colorado College, Lizzy Counts of Colorado College, Sami Lin of Trinity, Emma Funk of Trinity and Avery Tuggle of Trinity. Tuggle was named the 2019 Tournament MVP.
UP NEXT
Trinity (33-4) will receive the SCAC's automatic bid into the national championship field while Colorado College (30-4) is almost assured of an at-large berth. Both will find out their fates when the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament bracket is released tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET. The bracket will be revealed in a selection show available to watch right here on NCAA.com