Kyle Keck | Echo
The Taylor volleyball team came up short in a 3-2 rout with Indiana Wesleyan in the Crossroads League finals game on Saturday.
The Grant County rivalry simmered as the Trojans squared off against the Wildcats. To open the first set, No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan took a commanding lead, resulting in a 25-16 loss for Taylor. The second set consisted of much of the same with a 25-21 loss as the Trojans fell behind 2-0.
Taylor bounced back from a 2-0 deficit just once in 10 matchups this season, leaving fans a little grim going into the third set.
Though the odds were stacked against Taylor, head coach Holly Motheral refused to let her team fold.
"The nice thing about volleyball is you can have a slow start and still have opportunities to be successful," Motheral said. "I basically just told the ladies, 'It's now or never. Do or die. We have to put the things that we've talked about into action.'"
Taylor heard the message loud and clear as they bounced back to win the third set 25-19. In the fourth set, Taylor's "do-or-die" mentality flourished. Indiana Wesleyan pulled away with a 23-17 lead. The end of Taylor's season fell to within two IWU points. But the Trojans' fight never died as they rallied together and created a 7-0 run to take a 24-23 lead. Set four officially belonged to Taylor after it finished a 28-26 win, knotting up the match at 2-2.
"After dropping two games, our team began playing fearlessly and together," senior Kelsey Arvin said. "We made some incredible momentum-shifting plays that made the difference in winning (sets) three and four. Our fight and heart was definitely there."
Taylor began its third consecutive five-set match in the Crossroads League tournament following its victories against Saint Francis and Grace. Although fighting through five sets was all too familiar to Taylor, weariness from high-strung emotions in the previous sets caught up with the team. Indiana Wesleyan won the fifth set 15-10, solidifying a Wildcat Crossroads League title and the end to the Trojans' season.
"In the end, I think some fatigue from a long week and a few too many errors cost us the fifth set," Arvin said. "But I can walk away from our IWU match feeling like our fight and determination was exemplified in our performance that night."
Over the course of the rollercoaster match, Taylor's women put together impressive individual performances. Sophomore Kelly Arnold led the way with 12 kills, while junior Casey Allen and senior Jackie Close each added nine kills of their own. Junior Julia Willey gave her team 37 assists, but Arvin anchored the defense with 27 digs.
Arvin garnered the Crossroads League Libero of the Year and accompanied Willey on the All-Crossroads League First-Team. Close earned second-team honors and freshman Rachel Bouma earned her spot on the All-Freshman team.
"My mentality this season and throughout my career has been to come into practices and games 100 percent with mental focus and hard work," Arvin said. "This mentality, great coaching and a great block and fellow defensive squad helped me receive this honor."
Taylor finished its season with a 26-13 record, the most wins the team has seen since 2011.
"I'm very pleased with how the season went," Motheral said. "We had a very good start to the year and it was awesome to see the season end with a fight and not giving up."Photograph by Josh Adams
