TROJANS DOMINATE IN SWEEP OF SAINT FRANCIS
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UPLAND, Ind. – The senior duo of Rachel Bouma and Becca Gerig combined for 20 kills to lead the Taylor volleyball team to a sweep of Saint Francis to kick off Taylor’s homecoming weekend festivities on Friday night.
Bouma tallied 11 kills and committed just two hitting errors in 18 attempts while Gerig added nine kills as Taylor tallied a .288 hitting percentage en route to a dominant victory.
Taylor (15-10, 6-6) set the tone from the opening serve as the Trojans scored each of the first four points and built a commanding 7-1 lead on the way to a 25-16 opening set win.
Taylor continued the dominance in the second set, running out to a 5-1 lead before USF battled back to tie the match at 11-11. The Trojans unleashed a 7-1 run to build an 18-12 advantage and cruised to a 25-17 victory in the second set.
Looking for their sixth sweep of the season, the Trojans once again got off to a hot start in the third set, scoring the first six points to build and early lead. Saint Francis (6-15, 5-6) closed the gap to 13-11 before the Trojans extended the lead, eventually winning 25-21 to close out the match.
The Taylor offense featured solid balance with six different players registered at least four kills. In addition to the strong outings from Bouma and Gerig, junior Addy Bailey added seven kills, senior Kayla Springer tallied six kills, Hannah Paul tallied five terminations, and Julia Pomerenke finished with four.
Junior Haley Harrell dished out 25 assists while freshman Brooke Syswerda added 15 helpers for the Trojans. Sophomore Samantha Korn led the TU defense with 15 digs, Gerig added 13 and Harrell finished with 11. Bouma added seven blocks while Bailey finished with five blocks.
Taylor’s .288 hitting percentage was the highest hitting percentage for the Trojans since TU tallied a .367 hitting percentage in a win over Indiana Wesleyan on Sept. 8.
The Trojans return to the hardwood on Saturday as TU hosts Spring Arbor at 4:00 pm.