Trojans sail past Pilots

Kyle Keck | Echo

The Taylor volleyball team took down Bethel College Wednesday night in a 3-1 win at Odle Arena.

The Trojans' high-octane attack featured senior Jackie Close, who accounted for a game-high 17 kills. Close's hot hand fired shot after shot at the Bethel defense, forcing the Pilots to steer its ship clear of what Taylor claimed as theirs: victory.

"Julia (Willey) was a big factor," Close said. "She had really awesome court sense and gave me great situations with their blockers to help provide the opportunity for me to terminate the ball."

Taylor got off to a slow start in the first set. The Pilots came out with cannons blazing and took a commanding 12-4 lead. Bethel took advantage of any kill opportunity it could find, until Taylor woke up from its slumber and found its rhythm. Once the girls in purple and gold picked up speed, nothing could stop them.

"Energy was one of our main focuses coming into (Wednesday's) match," head coach Holly Motheral said. "I thought that our leaders and our bench did a great job maintaining our energy level and this was a big part as to why we were able to beat Bethel. I think that our hitters stepped up and performed really well, Jackie Close led us in kills and this was her first match back after an ankle injury. When our hitters are on, we are tough to beat."

Willey helped spread the wealth among Taylor's hitters evenly all night. The Trojans had three other hitters besides Close in double-digit kills, with sophomore Kelly Arnold and freshman Rachel Bouma garnering 11 each, while sophomore Jessi Arbuckle knocked down 10 of her own. With so many hitters on their game, Taylor accumulated a .207 hitting percentage. Such a high percentage made life easy for junior setter Julia Willey, who dished out a whopping 46 assists.

"Tonight was a fun night, and I was so proud of our hitters," Willey said. "They were smart, aggressive and showed a lot of fight, which makes setting a lot more fun. I think we did a great job of mixing up our shots and our routes, which helped us be successful against Bethel."

But it wasn't only the hitters who showcased their talent as the Taylor defense locked in all night long. Bethel showed spurts of life by occasionally killing the ball down the line, but Taylor dug out the majority of its shots. Willey and senior Kelsey Arvin combined for 55 digs. When the Pilots set up for a kill, the Trojans prepared to board ship.

"Our team's defense is definitely a major strength of our game," Arvin said. "Our relentless pursuit and mental focus on defense tonight enabled us to win some long rallies that really shifted the game's momentum to our direction."

Defense was a huge strength throughout the game, according to Arvin. She said that the pursuit and mental focus on defense helped the girls win long rallies. The defense shift the game's momentum to the Trojans, which shifted the game's momentum in their favor.

Taylor has two Crossroads League games left on its schedule. As the regular season dies down, the Trojans look to finish strong and head into the Crossroads League tournament with swagger.

"We must continue to have joy on the court and find ways to serve teammates," coach Motheral said. "When we are joyful, have fun and are selfless, we are the most successful."

Photograph by Josh Adams