Taylor Splits Pair of Matches to Open Weekend Tournament
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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The TU volleyball squad (8-11, 4-6 CL) began the weekend with a victory over RV Trinity Christian and a loss to Olivet Nazarene in the opening day for the Holiday Express Invite.
The Trojans grabbed a thrilling win over the Trolls (10-5) in an afternoon match on Friday. A 4-0 start set the tone for the team in the opening set, as they jumped out to an early lead. The Trolls bounced back to gain three set point opportunities but Taylor would not let the set slip away. Back-to-back kills from Ryan Czerniak secured the first set for the Trojans.
The following set was a breeze for TU, as it took the lead at 5-4 and never looked back.
After dropping the first two sets, Trinity Christian came back fighting, finishing the third set on a four-point run to extend the match.
A close fourth set went back and forth before the Trolls took control at the end to force a fifth set.
Once again, Taylor was caught in a balanced battle with the Trolls, as each team looked for a victory in the final set with the score even at 10. As the pressure mounted, Taylor would not be denied, surging ahead and notching its eighth victory of the season.
In its second match of the day, TU struggled to pull ahead of Olivet Nazarene (9-9). The Tigers completed the sweep over the Trojans with a trio of close sets that fell away from Taylor. In the first set, TU had just a one-point deficit with the score at 19-20 but the team could not overcome the Tiger lead.
The following sets began well for the Purple and Gold, taking a two-point lead into the middle of each set. Unfortunately, the second and third set each ended similarly, as the Tigers marched back to victory with large scoring streaks.
On the attack, Amanda Adams was on fire, logging 36 kills for the day, including 22 kills against the Trolls, which is a career-high for the sophomore.
The Trojans maintained their strong defense on Friday, grabbing a season-high 104 digs against Trinity Christian. Four different student-athletes tallied double-digit digs in the contest, including Abby DeSimpelare, Haley Harrell, Samantha Korn, and Jamie Scherb. Korn scooped up a season-high 34 digs in the match and pushed her season total to 400 digs.
TU returns to the court on Saturday with another pair of matches as they face Saint Xavier (10-6) at 1:00 pm and RV Campbellsville (11-6) at 3:00 pm.