No. 12 TU Completes Season Sweep of No. 17 IWU

Volleyball | Sat, Oct. 22, 2022 at 7:05 PM
| by Jake Chipka

MARION, Ind. – No. 12 Taylor (24-5, 13-2 CL) sullied the No. 17 Wildcat homecoming weekend on Saturday afternoon, when the Trojans completed a season sweep of IWU for the first time since 2010, beating the Wildcats three sets to one: 25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 25-21.

The last time Taylor swept Indiana Wesleyan, the Trojans won both the regular-season and league-tournament Crossroads League championships, finishing the season with an overall record of 35-8 and a perfect 16-0 mark in CL play.

Taylor has its eyes set on a similar script here in 2022, and Saturday’s win over IWU was a significant step along the way. Taylor extended its win streak to five matches in a row by defeating the Wildcats in four sets, the third of which proved especially pivotal.

After Taylor and IWU split the first two sets, the stage was set for a momentous third period of play inside Lucky Arena. Taylor found itself down 11-6 early in the set, forcing a Taylor timeout that then birthed an 11-3 run of its own to establish a 17-14 TU lead. Eight Wildcat errors energized the Trojan run, nurturing a deficit that IWU could not quite overcome.

Taylor ended up winning the third set 25-21, a period of play capped with kills from Ryan Czerniak and Arlanda Faulkner.

Czerniak led the way for Taylor on offense with 13 kills alongside a .407 hitting percentage and three blocks recorded throughout the match, while Faulkner added 10 kills and a block of her own.

Outside hitter, Anna Frey, enacted yet another dynamic performance, scattering the scorebook with an abundance of stats for the second night in a row. Frey tallied 12 kills, alongside 10 digs and three blocks, frustrating the Wildcats en route to the Taylor victory.

Though, Kacy Bragg, perhaps put forth the most impressive performance for Taylor Saturday afternoon, combining 44 assists with eight digs, four aces, and four kills.

Freshman libero, McKaylah Flagle, and senior, Karli Ware, locked down the Trojan backline on defense throughout the match. TU’s freshman recorded a match-high 14 digs, while Ware added 11 more herself.

Among the Trojan frontline, Grace Ieremia continued to do her thing, recording five blocks for the third-consecutive match. Ieremia has now posted five or more blocks in six of her last seven contests.

With just three matches remaining in the 2022 regular season, No. 12 Taylor (24-5, 13-2 CL) will look to maintain…