DECEMBER 5, 2025 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano
On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Colorado College Tigers ended their 2025 season after falling to the No. 24 Salisbury University Sea Gulls 2-3 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Their first-round campaign against the Sea Gulls marked their 31st appearance in the national tournament and their first since 2021.
Just five days earlier, the Tigers clinched the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship title, their first since 2021, and earned a bid to the national tournament. They entered the tournament on a 10-game winning streak.
“Our entire goal for this season was to win SCAC, so we were just so pumped,” said Brooke Brilliant ‘27, who was named an All-American honorable mention on Nov. 26 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). “Our goal was to go to the tournament. Just being there was huge for us.”
With a tight turnaround, the Tigers had two days to prepare for their match against Salisbury before heading to Cambridge, Mass., on Nov. 18. Skipping strenuous physical practices, head coach Sharon Dingman chose to focus on film and on adapting to the Sea Gulls’ style of play. Once the Tigers arrived at MIT, the host college, Dingman wanted her team to understand the environment they would face. Of the rostered 15 players, none had played in the tournament before.
“[During the SCAC tournament] we had to win one match at a time, but that goal of winning the championship, it’s a very different feeling than being in the tournament,” Dingman said.
According to both Dingman and Brilliant, playing on the East Coast posed a new challenge to the Tigers: the game became more physical. Serves would be faster and stronger, and teams attack the ball differently. The players themselves were taller than the Tigers’ usual conference and regional opponents. The Tigers would have to play faster, and, luckily, Dingman was confident they could do it.
With key players like Brilliant, Carolyn Dormady ‘26, Julia Reusch ‘27, Camille Sherrill ‘27, Meghan Gannon ‘27 and Camden Goodman ‘28, the Tigers’ tempo and accuracy led them to the top of their conference, performing with skills at the level commonly associated with East Coast teams.
“They haven’t seen somebody like Brooke Brilliant yet. She’s really one of the fastest middles in Division III,” Dingman said.
The Tigers rode their momentum into their national campaign, playing with speed and precision. With a crafty game style, they’ve focused on learning to close matches.
During their match against Salisbury, Sherrill tallied 19 kills. Dormady totaled 14 kills, three aces and one block. Brilliant followed in kills with 12, along with two aces and four blocks. Reusch had 10 kills and one block. Gannon led the Tigers in digs with 22, and Goodman collected 12 digs and 51 assists.
Dingman continued that over the spring season, some of her players “took a really big leap in their skills and commitment to their fitness,” including Sherrill. Sherrill rose to “a whole other level” and became a critical team leader. She was named AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 18, along with earning multiple SCAC weekly honors and tournament MVP following the Tigers’ conference championship.
However, it was ultimately the Tigers’ chemistry and trust in each other that set them apart.
The Tigers finished their season with 1499 kills, compared to their opponents’ 1250, posting a 23-8 total season record. Goodman, SCAC’s co-setter of the year, joined Dormady, Sherrill and Brilliant on the All-SCAC first team, while Gannon was named to the second team. Multiple players have stepped up when a significant point was at stake, and Dingman noted that just one player hasn’t determined their success.
Despite multiple injuries and losing a player midway through the season, the Tigers “held together.” Dingman believes this is because they trust each other, and she’s witnessed her team truly coming together to overcome adversity.
“Everyone is so capable,” Brilliant said. “You have to work together to get these individual accolades.”
Dingman’s favorite moment from the tournament came from their trip home, as the Tigers waited in the Boston airport after their season-ending match against Salisbury. While it was devastating to lose, it was a testament to their stellar season, the program’s best since 2021.
“I felt like we all thought that we could advance, and we should think that we could have advanced, and we didn’t. When it ended, there was really, truly heartbreak and devastation, a punch in their gut,” Dingman said. “But when we were all at the airport, just seeing them and listening to them, they were so darn proud of themselves, and they had every reason to be that proud of themselves.”
The Tigers are set to return 12 players next year, and Dingman hopes they will return with the same skill level and passion. With a taste of a national campaign, she believes their momentum will serve to fuel their goals for 2026.