The moment could easily have been too big for Trinity University outside hitter Amelia Payton. She’s a freshman, not too long removed from high school, trying to make a splash on a volleyball team that is a perennial NCAA Division III championship contender.

In her second collegiate match, Payton started in a matchup of teams ranked among the top five squads in the nation — Trinity is No. 2, and East Texas Baptist is No. 4. It was a stage that was as big and bright as they come.

Payton, though, was up to the challenge. The 5-foot-10 Georgia native had 12 kills and a .526 hitting percentage as the Tigers cruised past East Texas Baptist 25-11, 25-21, 25-22 on Friday at the Trinity National Invitational at Calgaard Gym.

Trinity (2-0) concludes the two-day event with a contest vs. Gustavus Adolphus of Minnesota at 11 a.m. and Redlands of California at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The spotlight of this weekend, without a doubt, was on Trinity vs. East Texas Baptist. The latter finished with a 34-1 record in 2025, earned its first No. 1 national ranking and was the No. 1 overall seed in the national tournament. The historic season, which ended with a run to the Elite Eight, included a four-set win in this tournament vs. Trinity.

“We all knew that this was a match that we weren’t going to take lightly,” Trinity senior setter Kendall DeRivel said. “We definitely had that revenge against them since they beat us last time. Having a tough non-conference pushes us to be better, and it really just forces us to play at our best.”

On this occasion, Trinity was on its game. It never trailed in the opening set and used a late surge to capture the second frame. The third set was close throughout, with East Texas Baptist leading by three early before Trinity used two kills from Payton, one from senior outside hitter and New Braunfels Canyon graduate Courtney Pope, and two service errors by its opponent to prevail.

“They are such a tough team,” DeRivel said of East Texas Baptist (1-1), which rallied after losing the first two sets to defeat Gustavus Adolphus in five earlier on Friday. “I think playing a top-five matchup this early in the season really just shows us how much we can do.”
Trinity returned seniors Pope, Lauren McCarthy and Connelley McWilliams, sophomores Lily Long, Lolo Jose and Anna Verhoff and juniors Annabelle Lanik, Taylor Starr and Brynn Bishop from a squad that advanced to the national semifinals before coming up short to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Eight newcomers joined them. Long had nine kills, Pope and McCartney notched seven apiece, Lanik had 13 digs and two aces, Starr had three blocks and DeRivel and Verhoff each registered 19 assists vs. East Texas Baptist.

“Coming into this season, I had told Coach (Julie Jenkins) that my goal was to not allow the fact I’m a freshman to hold me back from the impact that I can have on the team,” Payton said. “I feel like I am making a statement as a freshman — and want to keep making statements. I want to put myself on the map. I know that I have my teammates by my side, and they’re supporting me through thick and thin. That really grounds me when I’m playing.”

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