Taylor Goes Unbeaten at SHU Tournament
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ADRIAN, Mich. – On the heels of a 3-1 showing in Kansas one weekend prior, Taylor posted an unblemished 4-0 mark at the Siena Heights Tournament in Adrian, Michigan by scoring wins over Northwestern Ohio and IU-East on Saturday to complete a perfect weekend.
Ryan Czerniak was named the SHU Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined by Samantha Korn on the All-SHU Tournament Team. Czerniak posted a .357 hitting percentage with 38 kills in TU’s four wins, while Korn continued her stellar back-row play with 54 digs over the weekend.
The duo played a major role in Taylor’s sweep of UNOH (4-4) to begin play on Saturday, as Czerniak joined Amanda Adams with 13 kills, while Korn added 17 digs. TU also got great play from its setters, with Kacy Bragg posting eight kills, 24 assists, seven digs and two blocks and Abby DeSimpelare posting 18 assists, seven digs and two aces.
Taylor took the contest 25-10, 25-22, 32-30 and finished strong in each game to come out on top. TU closed the lopsided opener with an 18-5 spurt, before overcoming a 16-11 deficit in the second to end on a 14-6 stretch. In the finale, TU faced a 20-13 deficit and eventually fended off seven set points to pull out the 32-30 thriller.
The Trojans showed little signs of fatigue in the final match of the weekend, holding off IU-East (1-4) with a 25-12, 22-25, 28-26, 25-19 victory.
Jessica Dodane turned in 15 digs to match a career-high and Grace Isaacs collected three blocks. Brag continued her impressive play with 23 assists, 13 digs, seven kills and four aces.
Taylor (8-4) has won seven-of-eight matches and will open Crossroads League play on Wednesday, when it welcomes Huntington (5-1) to Odle Arena for a 7:00 pm showdown.
