Bryce Marsee | Echo
It took five sets for the Taylor volleyball team to extend their winning streak to seven on Saturday. The Trojans took down conference opponent Mount Vernon Nazarene 22-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-15, and 15-7. With the win, they move to 11-6 on the season and 8-1 in Crossroads League play.
"I think we started off with a lack of mental focus and hunger to win," said head coach Holly Motheral. "Eventually, we were able to change our mental focus and get the job done. I am proud of my team for fighting back and winning this match."
Senior Ashlyn DeHoogh and junior Jackie Close led the Trojan attack with 16 kills apiece. DeHoogh also tallied seven digs. Senior Montanna Ashline and sophomore Casey Allen added to Taylor's attack, recording 10 and six kills respectively. Allen also chipped in a game-high eight blocks. Sophomore Olivia Griffith tallied a team high 20 assists, while junior Kelsey Carr led the defense with 22 digs.
"They (DeHoogh and Close) both stepped up big time and were able to put the ball away for us," Motheral said. "Ironically, it was both of their birthday weekends so it was awesome that they were able to perform well on their special day."
With the loss, Mount Vernon Nazarene fell to 7-10 overall and 3-6 in conference play. Taylor will play host to the Cougars on October 19 in the series finale at 1 p.m. inside Odle Arena.
The Trojans are in the midst of 10-day break between games with their next contest slated for Tuesday at IU-East. Taylor will not be back in Crossroads League action until next Friday when they host conference rival Indiana Wesleyan (IWU). Both teams are currently tied for first place in the Crossroads League. With the time off, Motheral believes that it will be good to rest and allow the team to get ready for IWU.
"I think this time off will be good for us," Motheral said. "We will be doing some skill breakdown and refining. We may also make some adjustments offensively and defensively that will give us some more advantages for this second round of conference play."
The game against Indiana Wesleyan is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Odle Arena.
Earlier this week, the Crossroads League announced Kelsey Carr as Libero of the Week after she tallied 60 digs over three games last week. The junior led a Trojan defense that held opponents to attack percentages of .130, -.020 and .186.
"I am honored and excited to receive Libero of the Week for the Crossroads League this week," Carr said. "Our defense has been working very hard and has made some tremendous improvements. It is great to see our hard work paying off and I feel this honor speaks to the cohesiveness of our defense and blocking system as a whole this past week."
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
