No. 11 Taylor Sweeps No. 21 Marian to Garner League Tournament Title

Volleyball | Sat, Nov. 12, 2022 at 9:05 PM
| by Jake Chipka

UPLAND, Ind. – The sweet aroma of championship frenzy filled the air inside Odle Arena on Saturday evening, as the No. 11 Taylor Trojans (30-5) swept No. 21 Marian (23-6) in three sets to win their first Crossroads League Tournament Championship in over a decade.

The 2022 season has been one to remember for Taylor, as the Trojans have now swept the regular-season and league-tournament championship titles for the first time since 2010, while also racking up 30-or-more wins for the first time since 2011.

Taylor improved to a perfect 16-0 inside Odle Arena on its championship Saturday, now extending its home win streak to an impressive 25-consecutive matches. With its latest championship trophy in stow, Taylor has now won 11-straight matches and 21 of its last 23 overall.

Odle Arena just about reached its capacity crowd Saturday evening, as over 1,300 fans made the treacherous trip through snow to witness Taylor take care of business against Marian, and it was just about all Trojans from the very first serve.

Taylor worked a spacious 13-5 lead early, which quickly ballooned into a 13-point edge and an eventual 25-10 set win. Six different Trojans posted a kill on the board in the opening set, while Anna Frey and Ryan Czerniak each posted three en route to a commanding first-set Taylor win.

The second set proved much more competitive, however, as Marian forcefully established a 5-1 lead out of the gate. Taylor responded with a 12-2 run, though, thanks in large part to six Marian attacking errors.

Marian battled back to even the score at 20 apiece, maintaining an even score until Taylor set the stage for set-point as the score read 27-26. The set-point winner then came at the hands of Trojan setter, Kacy Bragg, who notched the third of her five total kills to set the table for a three-set sweep of the Knights.

Bragg finished the night with five kills, eight digs, four blocks, and 28 assists, 11 of which were scattered throughout a third and final set that Taylor won by a score of 25-17. As the set unfolded, the anticipation swelled inside Odle, as moment by moment more of the 1,300 TU faithful rose in body and in spirit.

The Trojans struck quickly, building a 6-2 third-set lead, which over time grew to an eight-point edge, 22-14. Along the way, Taylor outhit the Knights 14 kills to nine, six of which came from the explosive right arm of Frey.

Friends,…