(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
MOUNT BERRY, Ga – For the third year in a row, No. 11 Tiger Volleyball punched their ticket to the NCAA III Volleyball Playoff Quarterfinal with a 4-1 win over No. 4 Emory on Saturday afternoon.
Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Logan the Tigers offensive with 15 kills and sophomore Reagan Whatley would carry a load offensively, collecting 13 kills. Defensively, the Tigers would get 11 blocks as a team, with Maddie Fate and Brette Thornton having 2.5 blocks a piece. Whatley and Jenna Rodriguez would both have 15 digs in the match.
The Rundown
After a five-set match yesterday, the Tiger legs were a little slow to start the match as Emory jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead. The Tigers would battle with several multi-point runs in the middle of the set. However, the early lead by the Eagles was too much for the Tigers. The good news for the Tigers, though, was a three-point run late in the set that would give them momentum for the rest of the game. Emory would take the set, 18-25.
The second set was more of a typical start for the Tigers this season, getting out to a 5-2 lead. Emory would quickly close the gap, but you can not single-block Brette Thornton. Lightning rod from lightning rod, the set by Jozie Dhayer to Thornton would stop the Emory run in its tracks and energize the Tiger squad. The two top-ranked teams would trade points for a while but back-to-back four-point runs, led by Dhayer and Nadia Kern would extend the Tiger lead to five. The Eagles could not get any traction offensively, as any run they tried to make would be met by two Tiger points. To end the set, the Tigers would give the ball to their playoff hero so far, Maddie Fate. Fate would slam a ball up the middle to give the Tigers the set, 25-18.
The third set was even more Tiger domination. The good guys would get out to a quick 4-0 lead. From that point on, the Tigers would not give the lead back. Although the Eagles fought back to cut the lead to as little as three, the Tigers controlled the set. The biggest moment in the set came when first-year Connelley McWilliams rose up and pressed hard to block an Eagle attack. As the ball fell to the ground, McWilliams would pump her fist and embrace her teammates as the Tigers were in control with a 20-12 lead. Even though the Tigers had played longer matches between the two teams, it would be Emory who would make a service error to give the Tigers the set 25-17.
Emory would try to take it personally into set four, but the Tigers were already on the prowl, shutting down Emory's two points with four of their own. Emory would tie it up with consecutive points and again this season, the Tigers would jump on a seesaw with their opponent. The Tigers and Eagles would trade points until the Eagles took the first big lead since set one, 12-9. The Eagles had underestimated the Tigers, however, because they forgot that the Tigers are resilient. A huge block by McWilliams and Thornton would scare the Eagle hitters, causing multiple attack errors. The Eagles would take back their three-point lead, but Whatley would put the team on her back with multiple kills to bring the set back to even. Again, points would be traded until the dust cleared and it was 23-22 in favor of Emory. Still, though, the Tigers were never nervous. With a quarterfinal appearance on the line, the Tigers would lean on their seniors to put the game away. Logan would tie the match with a fastball down the line that lit up the radar gun. Next, Logan would jump in defensively with Thornton to put an Eagle attack back where it came from and give the Tigers set and match point. Kern would step to the line and the stadium would fall into a nervous silence. Kern would send a float into the platform of an Eagle defender, and it was too nasty to handle as the ball would be shanked for an ace. The Tiger flag would wave high and the Tigers would share a memorable hug because they punched their ticket to the next round.
Up Next - Quarterfinals
The Tigers will compete in the quarterfinals of the tournament, starting on November 29th. Along with the Tigers, Hope, Johns Hopkins, Juniata, NYU, Claremont-M-S, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Northwestern St. Paul have also advanced to the next round.
