Czerniak Surpasses 1,000 Career-Kills as Trojans Sweep Opening Day

Volleyball | Sat, Aug. 20, 2022 at 11:40 PM
| by Jake Chipka

ELGIN, IL. – Saturday marked the opening day of the 2022 volleyball season, a day on which the No. 22 Taylor Trojans (2-0) won two matches while being led by fifth-year senior, Ryan Czerniak, who surpassed the 1,000 career-kill mark in TU’s first win of the day.

After an impressive 2021 campaign in which she struck 368 kills en route to a Second-Team All-Crossroads League selection, Czerniak took the court on Saturday just four ticks shy of 1,000 career-kills. Though she would soon hit that milestone against Judson in Taylor’s first match of the day, Taylor’s lefty right-side hitter cruised well beyond it by day’s end.

Czerniak was especially impressive in Taylor’s afternoon win against William Penn (0-1), boasting 17 kills in tandem with just two errors for a kill-percentage of .536, though Czerniak was not the only Trojan to pound the ball with precision.

North Carolina Central transfer, Arlanda Faulkner, contributed 10 kills herself alongside a single error, posting a .450 kill percentage. After a rough first set in which Taylor executed just two kills and a clumsy 12 errors, the Trojans rained down 46 kills over the next three sets while maintaining a sharp kill-percentage of .481.

Meanwhile, last season’s Crossroads League Setter of the Year, Kacy Bragg, picked up right where she left off in 2021 as it concerns assists, recording 41 en route to Taylor’s four-set win over William Penn.

In Saturday’s first game, Taylor swept its host, Judson, three-sets-to-none. Along the way, the Trojans spread the love on the offensive end, as five different Trojans recorded four-or-more kills. Grace College transfer, Anna Frey, joined Czerniak with a team-leading eight kills alongside 10 digs, while junior, Chelsea Hurt, added seven kills in tandem with five total blocks.

No. 22 Taylor (2-0) is set to return to Upland, where it will host the Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament beginning on Friday, August 26. The Trojans are set to play two matches apiece on Friday and Saturday, with their first matchup scheduled on Friday at 12:00 pm against Clarke.