TU Volleyball Claims Highest National Rank Since 2011

Volleyball | Wed, Oct. 26, 2022 at 12:05 PM
| by Jake Chipka

NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top-25 Poll

KANSAS CITY – The NAIA announced its final Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top-25 National Poll of the 2022 regular season on Wednesday morning, a poll in which the Taylor Trojans (24-5, 13-2 CL) ascended one spot to the No. 11 rank in the nation.

With this most-recent national ranking, the 2022 Taylor volleyball team has matched the program’s highest national rank received in over a decade. Taylor last landed the No. 11 national rank in 2011, one season after Taylor received its highest national ranking in program history with the No. 8 spot in 2010.

Since the NAIA released its last poll on October 12, the Trojans have gone a perfect 4-0 in Crossroads League play, including victories over No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan (20-6, 11-4 CL) and RV Mount Vernon Nazarene (24-6, 9-6 CL). Even more, throughout their most-recent four matches, Taylor has dropped just a single set.

Along the way for TU, junior, Anna Frey, has performed in a dynamic manner, averaging a team-high 3.23 kills-per-set, alongside 3.38 digs, 0.92 blocks, and 0.31 service aces-per-set.

Meanwhile, Ryan Czerniak, has maintained her strong offensive showing in 2022, averaging 3.10 kills-per-set while posting a .361 hitting percentage since the NAIA’s latest poll. Though, her defensive production has escalated in recent weeks as well, evidenced by a 1.00 blocks-per-set mark throughout TU’s last four matches.

When speaking of Taylor and its blocks, however, it has become instinctual to highlight sophomore middle-hitter, Grace Ieremia, who has averaged a team-high 1.38 blocks-per-set since October 12. Though, Jaylynn Dunsmore, Ieremia’s fellow sophomore mid-hitter, has averaged 1.00 blocks-per-set herself throughout the same stretch of play.

Coordinating so much of Taylor’s impressive play throughout the entire season has been senior setter, Kacy Bragg, who picked up her sixth Crossroads League Setter-of-the-Week award in 2022 this past Monday. Bragg has averaged 10.15 assists-per-set, in tandem with 2.31 digs, 1.08 kills, 0.69 blocks, and 0.38 service aces-per-set throughout Taylor’s most-recent four contests.

With such a deep and dynamic lineup, Taylor now holds the fifth-most total team blocks in the nation with 241, alongside the nation’s sixth-most kills and seventh-best team hitting percentage.

No. 11 Taylor (24-5,…