The smile is unmistakable. It stretches large and wide, through the good and bad times, with each kill or block, consultation with the coaching staff, miscue and celebration with teammates.

There is no way to miss it. Two shoulder surgeries didn’t take it away. A trying freshman season at another school couldn’t remove it. The thought of walking away from a sport that’s been a central part of her life, first bringing personal accolades and later physical and emotional pain, couldn’t touch it.

Trinity University senior outside hitter Marissa Drange, a Boerne Champion High School graduate, is enjoying life on the volleyball court again. There’s no more hurt or toxicity to endure.

But there is a smile. And joy.

“I’m so grateful that my journey led me here,” Drange said. “Obviously, it was tumultuous, and there were some challenges, but I think everything happens for a reason.”

The 5-foot-11 Drange is a key player for Trinity (25-5), which faces Colby College (26-3) of Maine at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national championships in Bloomington, Illinois. The Tigers are in the Elite Eight for the fifth time in the past six seasons.

Outside hitter Reagan Whatley, libero and Antonian product Jenna Rodriguez and setter Jozie Dhayer are in the Elite Eight for the third time in four seasons at Trinity. They were on the 2022 national runner-up squad and the 2023 national semifinalist team.

“I think this is the most confident I’ve been in a team,” said Whatley, who was recently named to American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-America first team. “We’re mentally strong, and we have a lot of willpower that I hadn’t seen in the past three years. I think we have a really good shot this year.

“There’s a high standard at Trinity, for sure. We always want to get there. I don’t think we take it for granted at all. We know how much hard work it takes to get there every year, and we just try to up our level of play.”

The Tigers return to this national stage despite this season moving to a new conference. They competed in the Southern Athletic Association after years in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Trinity won the regular-season title but fell in the postseason tournament finale vs. Berry, which is also at the Elite Eight.

“The SAA has great competition and has really prepared us for this moment,” Dhayer said. “Just remembering what we’re there for, keep practicing and working hard, and trusting each other and trusting our coaches to succeed. I think it’s pretty bittersweet, but I also don’t want to think about it too much. We all want to focus on the game. We just want to look at who’s ahead of us.”

For Drange, she has plenty to look forward to because she has been able to move on from a tough past.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. The weather is dreary, with a cold front soon to arrive that will drop temperatures into the 40s. The campus at Trinity University is virtually empty. There are a few people working out in the fitness center at the Bell Center. In a second-floor corridor, members of the NCAA Division III Final Four-bound men’s soccer team are hurriedly preparing for a workout after returning from a brief holiday break.

Through some double doors, followed by a sharp right turn, and up some stairs, the sound of volleyballs slamming to the court echoes throughout the school’s Webster Sports Forum.

Wearing a trademark black headband, Drange is easy to spot as Trinity goes through the paces of one of its final practices before traveling to Illinois on a trek for an elusive national title.

In 2022, after a high school career that produced more than 1,000 kills and included her helping her team get within a win of making the UIL Class 5A state tournament, life was supposed to be grand for Drange. She was headed to Division I Idaho, a program that was looking to rebound after a few down years. New coach Chris Gonzalez, a U.S. national team coach who was an assistant coach at Long Beach State when it captured an undefeated national title in 1998 with legendary Misty May-Treanor, was expected to foster a turnaround.

Things, however, unraveled. On the court, the team finished 4-24 overall and 1-15 in the Big Sky Conference in 2022. Off the court, players and parents lodged complaints against Gonzalez, alleging bullying and mental, verbal and physical abuse, putting players at greater risk of injury by ignoring medical advice, withholding food on road trips and creating a culture of fear, humiliation and intimidation.

According to a published report, players complained of being light-headed, suffering dizziness and tunnel vision at matches and practices from a lack of food. Drange, it was reported, lost 15 pounds in two months during the 2022 season, her only one at the school. She transferred to Trinity before the 2023 campaign. Gonzalez coached for two seasons at Idaho before resigning in May 2024.

Drange has found peace with the Tigers. She instantly felt at home with Coach Julie Jenkins and her new teammates.

“I wasn’t sure, candidly, if I was going to continue to play volleyball after my second shoulder surgery, and just the experience at Idaho,” said Drange, who twice this season (Sept. 29 and Oct. 20) was named SAA offensive player of the week. “It’s been the biggest privilege to get to fall in love with volleyball again. I definitely have a greater appreciation every time I get to go out there on the court.”

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