Chris Yingling | Echo
The Taylor volleyball team treated fans to a five-set thriller Wednesday evening as the Trojans defeated Huntington 3-2 at home.
After dominating the first set 25-12, the Trojans let up, allowing Huntington to thunder back with a 25-19 second set. Taylor handled set three, winning 25-14, but Huntington swiped the fourth set 25-22.
Huntington made the fifth set interesting, jumping out to an 8-4 lead before Taylor scored six straight points, bringing the score to 10-8 in the Trojans' favor. Taylor scored five of the set's last seven points and took the fifth set, 15-10.
"We're always happy with a win, but I don't think that we played together as a unit," said head coach Holly Motheral. "In game one, three and five, we executed our game plan, something we didn't see in set two and four."
Sophomore Kelly Arnold's 17 kills led all players in the match, followed by sophomore Jessi Arbuckle's 14. In total, the Trojans registered a positive .094 attack percentage with a total of 58 kills and 40 errors, providing an efficient offense.
Senior libero Kelsey Arvin set the tone for Taylor's back row, registering 34 digs while juniors Maggie Williamson and Rachel McKinney each added 13 more. Junior setter Julia Willey continued her stellar season, recording 45 sets along with two of the team's four aces on the day.
"(Arvin and Williamson) really stepped up in the game," Motheral said. "With some injuries to our main hitters, we really needed to get some leadership and inspiration going, and they provided that."
Squeaking by in the match preserved a nine-year streak of wins against Huntington. The streak was extended to 18 consecutive victories for Taylor in a lopsided series.The win brings the Trojans to 21-9 overall, with an 11-4 record in the Crossroads League. Taylor's next game will be against Bethel on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Odle Arena.
