No. 12 Trojans Work Third Sweep in a Row
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – After a weekend of rest, No. 12 Taylor (22-5, 11-2 CL) returned to action Wednesday evening in Ohio, where the Trojans played guest at Mount Vernon Nazarene (22-6, 7-6 CL) and came away with their 15th sweep of the season and their third in a row.
Along the way to victory, Taylor limited itself to just 13 team attack errors, in contrast with 27 committed by the Cougars, numerous of which were forced by a relentless Trojan blocking brigade.
For the eighth time in 2022, Taylor posted 10 or more total team blocks, this time led by sophomore middle hitter, Jaylynn Dunsmore, who scratched seven total blocks into the scorebook. Grace Ieremia added five more, alongside Ryan Czerniak who tallied four total blocks alongside eight kills, matching Dunsmore in that way on the offensive end.
Meanwhile, Anna Frey catalyzed the Trojan attack with a team-high 11 kills, all the while maintaining a .476 hitting percentage throughout 21 total attempts. Frey added 12 digs alongside her double-digit kills, achieving her seventh double-double of the 2022 campaign.
Trojan setter, Kacy Bragg, also posted a double-double against Mount Vernon Nazarene, which marked her 12th of the season, this time combining 35 assists and 11 digs. Bragg surpassed 3,800 career assists in Ohio on Wednesday evening, now less than 200 away from the 4,000-career mile mark.
After working a fairly comfortable 25-16 first-set win, Taylor was pressed hard by the Cougars in the final two sets. Taylor found itself down 19-17 late in set two, before Frey ripped off three kills and a block to lead a Trojan comeback and set-two victory, 25-23.
The third and final set of Wednesday evening took shape more like a winding country road, the momentum swaying to each team at various points. After an even start to the set, Taylor established a 15-10 lead, only to have Mount Vernon Nazarene respond and match the score at 22 apiece late in the game.
Yet again, though, Frey struck a pair of kills to set up match point for the Trojans, a point which ended the match on a Kacy Bragg kill to keep Taylor atop the Crossroads League standings.
No. 12 Taylor (22-5, 11-2 CL) is back in action Friday evening, October 21, when the Trojans lace up for Senior Night and a 7:00 pm matchup with Huntington (13-14, 6-7 CL).