RV Taylor Falls in Five-Set Thriller Against No. 16 Bethel

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – After falling behind two sets to zero, Taylor battled back to force a decisive fifth set and fell just shy of pulling the upset over No. 16 Bethel (12-0, 1-0 CL) on opening night for Crossroads League volleyball. 

The final set was a see-saw battle, which saw the score tied nine separate times and the lead change hands on four occasions. 

TU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the final set before the Pilots tied it up at three. It was back-and-forth until a 3-0 scoring run from Bethel put them ahead 11-8. After a strategic timeout, TU rattled off five-straight points to claim a 13-11 advantage behind two kills from Grace Ieremia. Unfortunately, Bethel had the last run, scoring six of the final eight points to cap off the set at 17-15 and claim the hard-fought match. 

Taylor (6-2, 0-1 CL) was staring down a sweep before taking the third set by stepping up its defensive effort and holding the Pilots to a .000 hitting percentage. 

The Trojans secured two blocks and forced seven total errors on the way to a dominant 25-16 win to swing the momentum. With the score even at five, Taylor conjured a 9-1 scoring run, in which Jaylynn Dunsmore and Sarah Scott each tallied two kills that put the set out of reach. 

Building on its momentum in the third set, TU raced out to a 6-3 advantage in the fourth, fueled by a pair of service aces from freshman Abi Powers. Fellow freshman, Reagan Kleiman showed out by securing four kills in the set without an error. Kleiman finished the match with eight kills on 14 swings and two blocks. 

Trailing 23-22, with the set and match slipping away, Gracie Conway led a 3-0 run to take the set 25-23, grabbing two of the final three kills, which sandwiched an attacking error from Bethel. Conway led the Trojans with 20 kills in the match. 

Bethel came out firing in the match, hitting a scorching .377 throughout the first two sets to take an early 2-0 lead against the Trojans. 

McKaylah Flagle led the team in digs with 22 while adding a kill, an assist, and a service ace to her ledger. Chloe Holtz was impressive from the service line with a team-high three service aces and no errors while piling up 15 digs. 

Lindsay Springer continued to run the court with an astounding 55 assists and 12 digs for her third double-double in the last four matches. 

The Trojans will be back on the court on Friday, September 8, when they host the Amber McClure Fayerweather Tournament. TU will begin the tournament against RV IU Kokomo (5-3) at 1:30 pm before facing Madonna (4-2) at 6:30 pm.