(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
HOBOKEN, N.J. - No. 2 Trinity University Volleyball punched its ticket to the 2021 NCAA III Volleyball Championship Sunday afternoon with a four-set victory (18-25, 25-22, 25-17, 32-30) over No. 10 New York University to capture the Regional title.
The Tigers (34-2) will have a NCAA III Quarterfinal rematch from the 2019 run as the third seed of the remaining eight squads, taking on sixth-seeded Calvin University in Thursday night's 8 p.m. CT slot.
Senior outside hitter Annie Rose Leggett notched at least a share of Trinity Volleyball's all-time career service aces record with a trio of aces by the end of the third set. Leggett tied the record of 249 aces which was set by Amy Barrett during the 1996 campaign.
AVCA West Region Player of the Year senior outside hitter Avery Tuggle was named the Hoboken Regional's Most Outstanding Player, joined by junior libero Nadia Kern on the all-tournament team.
Senior middle blocker Emma Funk tied her career-high with 10 blocks against the Violets on Sunday. Coming into the 2021 campaign, Funk's previous match-high was eight blocks; she has surpassed that mark on three occasions this season all of which came against nationally-ranked opponents.
Tuggle and Leggett each posted double-doubles in Sunday's regional final. Tuggle collected a team-high 12 kills along with 16 digs; Leggett posted 10 successful swings to go with 12 digs. Kern led Trinity's digs column overall with 18.
No. 2 Trinity Volleyball heads to St. Louis, Missouri and the campus of Washington University (MO) for the 2021 NCAA III Championship, which begins for the Tigers Thursday against Calvin.
