It’s 3 p.m. on a Tuesday and Trinity University volleyball player Annie Rose Leggett made her way into Webster Gymnasium in the school’s Bell Athletic Center. Teammate Avery Tuggle would usually been with her, but on this day was still at work.

With earbuds on, Leggett seemed oblivious to anything outside of diligently setting up the standards and net and rolling out the carts loaded with volleyballs. In about an hour, the nation’s No. 2-ranked team would take the court in preparation for the NCAA Division III tournament. Trinity (32-2) dominated Cedar Crest (Penn.) 25-9, 25-8, 25-13 in the first round on Friday in Hoboken, N.J., as Tuggle had 10 kills and eight digs and Leggett added four kills, nine digs and five aces.

For the past five seasons, setting up things for practice has been a ritual for Tuggle and Leggett. It started in 2017 as a task delegated to them as freshmen. Along the way, the two players found delight in the chore. The session gave them an opportunity to talk, grow, bond and dream.

“I think it’s really cool to have the friendship that we’ve developed where we push each other so much,” Leggett said. “We’re both really competitive, and we’re also the most supportive of one another. As the years have gone on, we’ve just gotten closer and closer.”

On the court, Tuggle and Leggett have gotten better and better and have provided a 1-2 punch that has helped the Tigers become a legitimate contender to win a national title.

“They are two of some of the most dynamic six-rotation pins we’ve had here at Trinity,” Trinity coach Julie Jenkins said.

But to see where Leggett and Tuggle are today, one would have to trace their improbably journey. Eight years ago, they first crossed paths at a tryout for a club team in Austin. A few years later, and unbeknownst to one another, Tuggle and Leggett arrived nearly simultaneously at a college recruit camp at Trinity in the summer of 2016.

“It was kind of a cool coincidence,” said Leggett, who played at Round Rock Westwood. “We were walking into the gym and just did a double-take. (It was) like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re here too?’ We were always at the same place, same time kind of thing.”

The duo has been inseparable ever since. They’ve been roommates the past four years.

“We definitely have a lot of fun together,” Leggett said. “We have those goofy moments, but we also have those serious moments where I know that we both can go to each other a lot and lean on each other.”

One of the occasions came during the spring and summer of 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was uncertainty about whether the team would even get to play a season. Trinity advanced to the national semifinals in 2019, losing in four sets to eventual champion Johns Hopkins. With a solid core returning, including fellow senior Sami Lin, the Tigers had designs on winning it all.

“We just kind of sat and waited all summer to see if we’re going to have a season,” said Tuggle, who hails from Bastrop. “At the time, we were like, ‘There’s no way this is going to last that long. We’ll be fine.’ We all were just kind of like fingers crossed.”

Jenkins kept her team in the loop throughout the process. Eventually, it was determined that the 2020 season would be played in the spring instead of the fall, and there would be no postseason. The seniors, however, were granted an extra year of eligibility — and Tuggle, Leggett and Lin jumped at the gift.

“Definitely didn’t want to leave this sport with unfinished business,” Leggett said. “We definitely had a high in that 2019 season, but just knew there was so much to build off of after that. With how this season has been progressing, it’s showing how much that championship is in reach for us. I think it’s just important, especially with this being the final season, not to get carried away and looking ahead.”

Trinity, which was No. 1 in American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason Division III rankings for the first time in program history, has had no such issue. Playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules — Trinity has No. 1 strength of schedule in West region — the Tigers went 16-0 in winning the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

Trinity now sets its sights on claiming an elusive national crown.

“Last fall, I wasn’t quite ready to not be playing volleyball,” said Tuggle, a two-time conference player of the year. “It just seemed super unfinished. I feel like now, after a year, I’m feeling a little bit more at ease because I know I’ve gotten the most out of my time with this team and the sport.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1