Southwestern University

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Southwestern University Volleyball opened the Trinity University SAA pod with a 1-1 record after defeating Rhodes College 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-20) to start the day, before falling to the host No. 17 Trinity 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 18-25, 16-25) to close the day. The Pirates move to 16-9 and 7-6 in league play with the split
 
MATCH ONE: SU 3, RC 1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-20)
 
Southwestern built an early 6-4 lead behind back-to-back kills from Riggar and a service ace from McIntyre. The Pirates extended the advantage to 9-7 on kills from Ahrens and Wilson, but Rhodes answered with a three-point run to take a 10-9 lead. The teams traded points before Rhodes strung together a key stretch, turning an 11-10 lead into a 17-10 advantage with a six-point run that included three consecutive service aces. After trailing 20-11, Southwestern pulled within 20-15, then continued to chip away behind kills from Wilson and Ahrens. Ahrens delivered consecutive kills to help bring the Pirates within 22-21, and another Ahrens kill tied the set at 22-22. A Rhodes attack error gave Southwestern a 23-22 lead, but the Lynx responded with three straight points to win set one 25-23.
 
Southwestern responded by taking control of the second set after an early back-and-forth start. The Pirates erased a 4-2 deficit with a three-point run, getting kills from Wilson, Burke and Ahrens to move in front 5-4. After Rhodes tied the score at 5-5, Southwestern pulled ahead again and built an 8-6 lead on kills from Ahrens and Riggar. The Pirates were able to widen their lead, taking advantage of Rhodes errors and pulled ahead 15-12. Southwestern continued to capitalize, with Wilson, Ingram and Ahrens contributing kills during the middle portion of the set. The lead grew to 21-14 as Rhodes struggled to find an answer to the Pirates' offensive pressure. Riggar recorded two kills late, including the set-clinching point, as Southwestern evened the match with a 25-16 win. The Pirates hit .220 in the set, improving considerably from their .108 mark in the opener.
 
The Pirates carried their momentum into the third set, opening with a 3-0 run that included a service ace from Ahrens. Rhodes briefly closed the gap, but Southwestern regained separation and moved ahead 7-4 on kills from Burke and Ahrens. Rhodes responded to pull within 7-6, before the Pirates used another stretch of strong attacking to push the lead to 13-8.
 
Southwestern maintained its advantage through the middle of the set, with Ahrens and Planchet contributing kills as the Pirates moved ahead 14-9. Rhodes made another push, but Southwestern continued to answer, reaching a 19-12 lead after consecutive points from Wilson and Ahrens. The Lynx trimmed the margin late, but the Pirates held firm and closed out the set 25-19 on a block by Wilson and Burke. Southwestern recorded 15 kills in the set and held Rhodes to a .071 hitting percentage.
 
Rhodes came out with renewed energy in the fourth set, taking an early 6-3 lead and extending the advantage to 9-4. Southwestern began to respond with kills from Ahrens and Planchet, cutting the deficit to 9-6 before continuing its push. The Pirates then put together their most important stretch of the set, turning a 12-8 deficit into a 12-12 tie with four consecutive points. Planchet supplied two kills during the run, while Riggar added another to help bring Southwestern even.
 
Rhodes stopped the run and moved back in front, eventually leading 15-12. Southwestern answered again, with kills from Burke and Riggar helping the Pirates close the gap. With the set tied at 17-17, Southwestern took control with a decisive eight-point stretch, including a service ace from McIntyre and kills from Riggar and Wilson, to build a 24-17 lead. Rhodes scored three straight points to extend the set, but Ahrens finished the match with a kill off an Ingram assist, securing the 25-20 win.
 
MATCH TWO: TU 3, SU 1 (25-20, 22-25, 18-25, 16-25)
 
The Pirates started aggressively, using an early service ace from Ahrens and kills from Wilson and Riggar to build a 5-1 lead. Southwestern maintained its advantage through the middle of the set, leading 13-8 before Trinity began to close the gap. The Pirates responded with another productive stretch to move ahead 17-12 and kept Trinity at a distance late. Jurgens finished the set with a kill off a Srubar assist to give Southwestern the opening-set win.
 
Southwestern again started well, building a 2-0 lead, but Trinity responded to take a 3-2 advantage. The Pirates regained momentum and moved ahead 7-4, then held a narrow lead through the middle of the set. Trinity eventually tied the score at 10-10 and used a run to build a 17-14 advantage. Southwestern worked its way back into contention and pulled within two late, including a block from Wilson and Jurgens to make it 24-22. Trinity closed out the set on the next point to even the match.
 
Trinity grabbed control immediately, opening the set with six consecutive points to take a 6-0 lead. Southwestern responded with a run of its own, highlighted by three consecutive service aces from McIntyre, to cut the deficit to 9-8. The Pirates later tied the set at 10-10 on a Riggar service ace, but Trinity answered with another push to regain a multi-point lead. Southwestern stayed within reach into the later stages before Trinity pulled away, taking the set 25-18.
 
The Pirates scored first, but Trinity quickly took control and built an 8-2 lead. Southwestern made a push to close the gap to 9-6, with kills from Riggar and Planchet helping spark the rally. Trinity responded with a decisive run, stretching its advantage to 18-10 and limiting Southwestern's opportunities to get back into the set. The Pirates continued to compete late, but Trinity maintained its lead and closed out the match, 25-16. Riggar led Southwestern with 15 kills, while Rodriguez finished with 16 digs.
 
GAME NOTES

• Izzy Rodriguez set a new career-high of 37 digs in the win over Rhodes.
• Sophia Burke collected 10 blocks today after recording five in both matches. The five blocks in a single match marks a new career-high.

 
UP NEXT
The Pirates will be back in action tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. as they take on Millsaps College to close the weekend. The game will be streamed live on FloCollege.