Ieremia Produces Big as Trojans Drop Home Match

UPLAND, Ind. – Another strong night from senior middle hitter Grace Ieremia could not push Taylor over the hump Wednesday evening as it fell to Spring Arbor (8-6, 2-3 CL) in four sets.

The Trojans started the night on the right foot with back-to-back kills by Ieremia, both of which were set up by Lindsay Springer.

TU actively kept the ball alive throughout the opening frame, as six players notched at least two digs by the first set's end, led by Jen Springer's five digs. From there, Taylor did enough on the offensive end with 13 kills on a .189 percentage to take a 1-0 lead with its 25-21 win.

Five kills from five separate Trojans helped TU open an 8-4 lead in set number two, but the Cougars roared back with an 18-2 run as they evened the match at one set apiece.

The game's third set saw competitive action from both teams, with Reagan Kleiman and Reagan Salzbrenner going to work for Taylor as the hosts opened a 15-13 lead. SAU came back to gain the advantage in the match, though, and it stayed hot by beginning the fourth frame on a 6-0 run.

The Trojans mounted a comeback and were able to cut the deficit to two points in that fourth set, but it was too steep a hill to climb as they fell 25-22 to close the match.

Ieremia totaled 11 kills against just one error for a .455 hitting percentage, while Kleiman and Jaylynn Dunsmore added 10 kills apiece. Aiding TU's attack, Lindsay Springer raised her assists-per-set average on the season with a match-high 44 assists.

McKaylah Flagle led the Trojans' defense, which had 70 digs compared to the Cougars' 60, with a match-high 20 digs, followed by 12 from Lindsay Springer and 10 from Jen Springer.

Both sides had strong nights defending at the net with 20 total blocks between the teams. TU had nine blocks on 18 block assists, 11 of which came from the tandem of Ieremia and Lindsay Springer.

Taylor (6-11, 1-4 CL) will look to snap its four-match slide when it travels to play No. 22 Marian (13-2, 4-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m.