Trojans Fall in Pair of Contests at Olivet Nazarene Tournament

TU vs. CC Box Score | TU vs ONU Box Score

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Taylor volleyball team wrapped up competition on the final day of the Olivet Nazarene Tournament on Saturday with a pair of losses to No. 7 Columbia College and the hosts from Olivet Nazarene.

The Trojans (14-9) struggled to generate sufficient offense against a pair of talented squads on Saturday as Taylor was without two of its top three hitters in senior Becca Gerig and sophomore Callie Drage who did not compete due to injuries.

Seventh-ranked Columbia College overpowered the Trojans in the first match of the afternoon for TU as Columbia College knocked off TU in straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-20). The Cougars were efficient and effective on offense with a .261 hitting percentage while the Trojans could only manage a .043 hitting percentage in the loss.

Sophomore Hannah Paul and freshman Amanda Adams paced the TU attack against Columbia College with six kills each. Junior Haley Harrell led TU with 14 assists while Laura Craig tallied a team-high 16 digs.

In the final contest of the weekend the Trojans fell victim to an Olivet Nazarene offense which was clicking on all cylinders. The Tigers tallied a hitting percentage of .310 for the contest while Taylor finished with a .160 hitting percentage.

The TU offense showed glimpses of strong play, especially in the second set as Taylor tallied 14 kills and just one error in 40 attacks while picking up a 25-23 victory. But ONU's offense was more consistent as the Tigers took set one 25-13, then won sets three and four 25-19 and 25-11, respectively.

Junior Addy Bailey paced the Taylor attack against ONU with 12 kills while senior Kayla Springer added ten terminations. Harrell dished out 28 assists and added a team-high 17 digs while sophomore Samantha Korn totaled 16 digs. Korn earned a spot on the Holiday Inn Express All-Tournament Team for her strong play.

Taylor will return to Crossroads League action on Wednesday night as the Trojans travel to face No. 25 Marian in Indianapolis at 7:00 pm before returning to the friendly confines of Odle Arena for a three-game home stand.