GERIG REGISTERS 1,000TH CAREER DIG, TROJANS FALL TO MARIAN

GERIG REGISTERS 1,000^TH CAREER DIG, TROJANS FALL TO MARIAN

UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor senior Becca Gerig tallied her 1,000^th career dig on Saturday but it wasn’t enough to lift the Trojans as TU fell to Marian in a Crossroads League match up.

Gerig, who surpassed 1,000 career kills last weekend, registered eight digs to go along with a team-high 18 kills but Marian controlled much of the match on the way to a four-set win (25-16, 25-15, 16-25, 25-21).

Marian (11-2, 3-0 CL) never trailed in the opening set, turning a 6-6 tie into a 14-7 advantage on the way to a 25-16 win. The Knights registered 16 kills and just three hitting errors on 43 attempts for a .302 hitting percentage in the first set.

The Knights, coached by Taylor alumna Ashlee Pritchard (Zeigler), continued to roll in the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and eventually piling up a 17-5 advantage before settling for a 25-15 win.

Taylor (8-4, 2-2 CL) finally found a rhythm in the third set as Gerig and fellow senior Rachel Bouma tallied kills early in the set to give TU a 6-3 lead. Marian eventually pulled even at 11-11 but Gerig responded with a trio of kills to spark a 6-1 run for the Trojans as TU took control of the set en route to a 25-16 win.

The fourth set was hotly contested with the Trojans and Knights battling to a 14-14 tie before Marian surged ahead with a 6-2 run and never allowed the Trojans to draw closer than three as MU notched a 25-21 win.

Taylor finished the match with a .145 hitting percentage while Marian tallied a .214 hitting percentage.

Gerig led the Trojans with 18 kills while Bouma added eight and Callie Drage finished with six kills. Junior Haley Harrell dished out 35 assists and added ten digs for the Trojans while Samantha Korn finished with a team-high 24 digs.

The Trojans return to action on Wednesday as TU hosts Bethel in a Crossroads League contest slated to begin at 7:00 pm.