Strong Defensive Effort Not Enough in League Loss to No. 22 Cougars
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#22 Mount Vernon Nazarene
14-0, 2-0
|
19 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Taylor
6-8, 1-1
|
25 | 17 | 21 | 16 | 1 |
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor women's volleyball team (6-8, 1-1 CL) faced a tough test Saturday afternoon when it hosted No. 22 Mount Vernon Nazarene (14-0, 2-0) inside Odle Arena. TU started strong defensively and won set number one by six points, but the Crossroads League's top-ranked attack of the Cougars prevailed to take the next three sets in order.
McKaylah Flagle and the Trojans went to work early on, notching 22 digs – 10 by Flagle – and combining for three successful blocks as they held MVNU to a 0.000 hitting percentage in the first frame.
Reagan Kleiman, Jaylynn Dunsmore, Grace Ieremia and Reagan Salzbrenner each tallied three kills in the opening set, with Lindsay Springer adding 10 assists and a kill of her own.
The Cougars found their groove in set number two with 15 kills as they evened the match.
Unphased, the third set saw TU take control early with leads of 5-0 and 8-3, with the home team winning the rallies in a variety of ways. MVNU came back with an eight-point run to grab the lead at 11-8, though Taylor tied it at 16 and at 18 moments later. Late-set mistakes hurt the Trojans, however, and Mount Vernon cruised to take the set and ultimately the match.
Flagle dug out 28 opposition attacks for her most digs in a match since Sept. 8, 2023.
Springer finished with 41 assists, which led in part to a season-high 14 kills from Ieremia and a dozen from Dunsmore.
As a team, TU totaled two solo blocks (Kleiman and Dunsmore) and 10 block assists, with freshman Shaye Watson registering her first collegiate block.
Taylor starts a two-match road trip on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it travels to play No. 21 Grace (7-2, 1-1 CL).
Team Stats
#22 Mount Vernon Nazarene
| Game Statistics | #22 Mount Vernon Nazarene | Taylor |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .199 | .127 |
| Blocks | 8.5 | 7.0 |
| Digs | 68 | 65 |
| Aces | 7 | 5 |
