Trojans Win Pool at Graceland Tourney
September 11, 2009
The No. 19 Taylor volleyball team posted its two best blocking performances of the year Friday on day one of the Graceland University Pizza Shack Invitational to lift the Trojans to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 27-25, 25-16) win over Graceland (Iowa) and a 3-1 (25-14, 25-12, 22-25, 25-15) win over Missouri Baptist.
Taylor vs. Graceland
After dropping set one 20-25, Taylor rebounded to win three straight sets for a 3-1 victory over the tournament hosts.
Taylor (8-1) finished the match with a season-high 12.5 team blocks, holding Graceland's hitters to a .126 attack percentage for the match.
Sophomore Bethany Beck led the way at the net with seven block assists to go along with eight kills. Senior Colleen Nelis posted eight kills and five block assists while sophomore Kelsey Pritchard continued her hot play with 14 kills and just one error in 25 attempts. Freshman Courtney Herschberger led Taylor with a career-high 23 digs.
Taylor used a strong afternoon at the net and a .246 attack percentage to overcome 12 service errors.
Taylor vs. Missouri Baptist
In the first ever meeting between the two teams, Taylor forged a 2-0 lead before falling to the Spartans 22-25 in set three. The Trojans bounced back with a 25-15 win in the fourth set to finish the day 2-0 and claimed the top spot in the invitational's Gold Pool.
It was another block party for Taylor as the team racked up 12 more blocks led by five block assists and one solo from Nelis. The Grand Haven, Mich., native posted double digits in kills for the first time this season with ten.
For the seventh time in nine outings this season, Pritchard led Taylor with 12 kills, again with just one hitting error in 25 attempts. Herschberger had three aces and 22 digs to pace Taylor in both categories.
Missouri Baptist hit at just .075 for the match compared to .269 for Taylor. The Trojans drastically minimized their unforced errors with just three service errors and one reception error against the Spartans.
By capturing the top spot in their pool, the Trojans enter the championship bracket with three other teams. Taylor will face No. 20 Lindenwood (Mo.) on Saturday morning at 11:15 am CST. In the other semifinal match, No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) will take on Jamestown (N.D.) at 9 am CST. The winners of those two matches will meet in the championship at 3:45 CST. Both losing teams will meet in a consolation match at 1:30 pm CST.