TU Volleyball Climbs to No. 13 in the NAIA

Volleyball | Wed, Sep. 28, 2022 at 11:55 AM
| by Jake Chipka

NAIA Coaches’ Top-25 Poll

KANSAS CITY – The NAIA released its third Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top-25 Poll of the regular season on Wednesday, and for the third-consecutive week the Taylor Trojans landed among the nation’s top teams. Though, this week the Trojans made a six-spot climb to No. 13, which marks Taylor volleyball’s highest national rank since 2011 when the Trojans landed at No. 11.

Taylor (17-4, 6-1 CL) has gone 5-1 since the previous top-25 poll, which was announced on September 14, with four of its wins since then unfolding in the fashion of a sweep. The weightiest win, at least in the eyes of those who establish the national rankings, must have been Taylor’s most-recent, a thrilling five-set match win over cross-county rival, No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan (13-3, 6-1 CL).

While Taylor pulled off perhaps its most exciting win thus far in 2022, the Trojans also experienced their first taste of defeat within Crossroads League play this past week, a five-set loss to RV St. Francis (10-9, 4-3 CL).

Nonetheless, the national voters acknowledged Taylor’s craft on the court by extending a six-spot jump to the 13th rank in the nation. As a team, the Trojans now boast the fifth-most assists in the nation, along with the sixth-most kills and 10th-most total blocks.

Meanwhile, Ryan Czerniak continues to lead the nation with a .430 hitting percentage alongside the nation’s second-most kills with 298. Trojan setter, Kacy Bragg, sits second in the nation with 842 assists, averaging the sixth-most assists-per-set with 10.79. And Grace Ieremia boasts 81 total blocks for a share of the eighth-highest rank in the NAIA.

Taylor was one of three Crossroads League teams to crack the nation’s top-25 in Wednesday’s poll, as Indiana Wesleyan snagged the No. 11 spot while Marian (14-1, 6-1 CL) dropped 14 spots to No. 17.

The No. 13 Trojans are back in action later Wednesday evening, when they host Goshen (2-19, 0-7 CL) at 7:00 pm inside Odle Arena.