Grace spikers earn crucial win at Taylor
UPLAND, Ind. – Grace’s volleyball team picked up a key victory at Taylor on Wednesday, securing the season sweep of the Trojans with a 3-1 win.
The Lady Lancers (15-10, 8-5 Crossroads League) tightened their grip on third place in the league standings, moving 1.5 games ahead of Taylor.
Grace’s offense was dominant in the victory, smashing 54 kills on a .212 percentage. Caylie Teel had a career-high 18 kills on a .372 percentage to go along with 19 digs, and Savannah Hart was almost automatic with 11 kills on a .550 percentage.
Alexa Hill paced Grace’s attack with 45 assists and a career-high 21 digs.
Grace won the first two sets to take a commanding lead in the match. The Lady Lancers won 25-21 in the opener before smashing the Trojans (16-11, 7-7 CL) by the score of 25-15 in the second. Sierra Smith had two late kills to secure the first-game win.
Taylor stayed alive in the third set with a 25-14 victory, but Grace ended the match soon after.
With Grace holding a slight 12-11 advantage in the fourth set, the Lady Lancers surged ahead for good. The Lady Lancers ended the match on a 13-5 run to win 25-16. Teel put the final touches on a sparkling performance with a kill on the last rally.
Sara Miller had 20 digs defensively, and Gina Novotny added 15. Sierra Smith tallied 13 kills, and Kari Feddema added five kills and two block assists.
The Lady Lancers end the week with a tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich. Grace will play Northwestern Ohio, No. 16 Madonna, No. 18 Cornerstone and Aquinas in a challenging weekend.