TU Volleyball Re-enters Win Column

Volleyball | Sat, Sep. 3, 2022 at 11:40 PM
| by Jake Chipka

BELLEVUE, Neb. – After experiencing its first taste of defeat in 2022, the No. 18 Taylor volleyball team (8-2) quickly re-entered the win column on Saturday evening by sweeping six sets en route to two match wins.

The Trojan offensive attack was relentless all day, outkilling its opposition 92-60 while maintaining a team hitting percentage of over .300.

Arlanda Faulkner and Ryan Czerniak spearheaded the Trojan offense, the two combining for 62 kills throughout Taylor’s six sets played. Meanwhile, Kacy Bragg continued to work her magic with the set, totaling 85 assists by the day’s end.

Taylor first squared up with McPherson (6-4), winning the opening set 25-17 before putting the pedal to the medal in the match’s final two sets. Set two set the stage for a period of play in which Taylor outkilled McPherson 17-6, after which the Trojans put an exclamation on their win by posting a .520 hitting percentage in the third-and-final set.

The Trojans’ fourth-and-final match of the 2022 Labor Day Classic came against RV Grand View (1-8), a matchup that resulted in Taylor’s fifth three-set win of the season.

Once again, Taylor saved its strongest set for last, pounding the ball with a .420 hitting percentage en route to a 25-15 match-ending set win. Prior to the decisive third set, the Trojans simply refused to lose, consistently fending off potential Grand View comebacks and wearing down the opponent morale.

Faulkner and Czerniak had much to do with that, totaling 30 kills between the two, while sophomore, Jaylynn Dunsmore, added nine more of her own throughout the match.

Now back in the win column, No. 18 Taylor (8-2) is set to return to Upland where the Trojans will partake in their Crossroads League season-opener against RV Bethel (5-3) on Wednesday, September 7, at 7:00 pm.