Trojans Clinch Share of Third Straight Title
October 22, 2009
The No. 20-ranked Taylor volleyball team clinched a share of its third straight Mid-Central College Conference regular season championship Thursday evening with a 3-2 (25-17, 15-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11) win over Spring Arbor (Mich.).
"This was truly a team win for us," said Taylor head coach Brittany Smith. "While it wasn't always pretty and not everyone was on top of their game, I was proud of the team for keeping their composure. They rallied around each other and gutted out a tough win."
With the win, Taylor improved to 22-4 overall and 6-0 in the MCC. Spring Arbor fell to 19-10 and 4-2 in the conference. With two conference matches remaining against Huntington (Oct. 28) and Goshen (Nov. 4), the Trojans can finish no worse than tied for the top spot in the standings.
Taylor, the NAIA all-time wins leader with 1,030 program victories, has now won nine regular season MCC titles since entering the league in 1994. That total is the most of any team in the conference.
When asked what the championship meant in the context of the season, Smith replied, "It's an exciting milestone for our team, and I am very happy for them. We look at it as another step forward for our program as we strive to compete at a national level."
The win gives Taylor its 18th straight victory in MCC regular season play, a streak that dates back to Oct. 2, 2007.
For just the third time this season, the Cougars pushed the Trojans to a five-set match. Taylor has won all three of those matches by at least three points in the final set.
"A lot of credit goes to Spring Arbor tonight," said Smith. "It was an outstanding defensive effort and they found ways to score all night. They have a great program."
Leading a quartet of Trojans that finished the match with double-digit kill totals was junior outside hitter Jackie Geile, who collected 15 kills to go along with her four blocks.
Setter Betsy Brown ran the offense to the tune of 50 assists and a .230 team hitting percentage. The sophomore recorded her fifth double-double of the season by popping up ten digs. Brown's five kills matched a career high.
Junior Rachel Kizer posted a new career high with four aces to lead a group of Trojan servers that finished the match with a total of ten aces.
Taylor travels to the Madonna (Mich.) Crusader Classic Friday and Saturday. First up for the Trojans is #RV Walsh (Ohio) at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by a meeting with No. 18 Madonna at 7 p.m.