Trojans Climb to No. 18 in National Rankings

Volleyball | Wed, Aug. 31, 2022 at 1:10 PM
| by Jake Chipka

NAIA Top-25 Poll

KANSAS CITY – The National Athletic Intercollegiate Association released its first Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top-25 Poll of the 2022 regular season on Wednesday, in which the undefeated Taylor Trojans (6-0) climbed to the No. 18 spot in the land.

The Trojans rose four spots in the national rankings after winning all four of their matches in the second-annual Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament, hosted inside Odle Arena on the campus of Taylor University last weekend.

Taylor is one of four Crossroads League teams to crack the top-25 in the NAIA’s latest poll, joining No. 3 Marian (4-0), No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan (4-0), and No. 25 Mount Vernon Nazarene (6-0), while RV Bethel (3-1) continues to reside on the cusp of the national rankings.

When Taylor has been at its best on the court, a killer combination of a sharp hitting percentage on offense and a demoralizing blocking average on defense has been the key to success. As a team, the Trojans hold the second-best hitting percentage in the league with a mark of .237, in addition to comfortably leading the league with a block-per-set average of 2.67, a mark that ranks eighth in the entire nation.

Right-side hitter, Ryan Czerniak, has led the way on offense for the Trojans, having maintained a .455 hitting percentage while averaging 3.8 kills-per-set throughout Taylor’s first six matches. Senior setter, Kacy Bragg, and outside hitter, Arlanda Faulkner, have also posted a .270-or-better hitting percentage thus far into the 2022 campaign.

On the defensive end, middle hitters, Grace Ieremia and Jaylynn Dunsmore, have continually embodied a fierce presence, Ieremia leading the Crossroads League and ranking third in the NAIA with a season-average of 1.53 blocks-per-set. Meanwhile, Dunsmore has contributed an additional 0.83 blocks-per-set, alongside outside hitter, Anna Frey, who has added 0.79 more.

No. 18 Taylor (6-0) is slated to play four top-25 or RV teams this upcoming weekend at the Labor Day Classic in Bellevue, Nebraska, commencing with a match against No. 15 Central Methodist (2-1) on Friday, September 2, at 4:00 pm ET.