Dynamic Defense Powers Trojans Past Cougars

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – No. 22 Taylor put on a dynamic defensive display, forcing Saint Francis (4-15, 0-7 CL) into a negative hitting percentage in Wednesday night's sweep.

A phenomenal display on the block saw the Trojans tally ten blocks, with Reagan Salzbrenner and Daya Vestal leading the squad with four apiece. The back row was everywhere with 51 digs led by libero, McKaylah Flagle, at 12, and Ellie Frey with 11.

On the offensive side, Vestal was terrific with eight kills on 12 swings and no errors for a sterling .667 hitting percentage. Frey led the team with ten kills while Reagan Kleiman added seven of her own.  

Taylor briefly trailed 4-3 in the opening set before a Shaye Watson kill sparked a 6-1 run to gain control. The momentum carried the road squad to a dominant 25-15 win in the opener as the Trojans hammered 13 kills and forced the Cougars into seven errors.

The second set was a tight battle as the squads traded late runs, capped by Taylor taking the final five points for a stunning come-from-behind 26-24 win.

Saint Francis carded an early 5-0 run behind four separate players tallying a kill. TU called a timeout and regrouped to score ten of the next thirteen points for a 14-12 lead.

The Purple and Gray looked to have the second set in hand with a commanding 19-15, but the Cougars rattled off a 9-2 run behind a pair of blocks and two kills apiece from Kendal Frey and Annabelle Sweigert.

Kleiman bookended the next five points for Taylor with kills, and three errors, including a block by Vestal and Salzbrenner, shocked the home team and its fans as TU took a 2-0 lead.

The Cougars looked to get back into it in the third, leading 7-3 before the wheels fell off completely. Taylor forced the home squad into 15 errors and a -.154 hitting percentage behind five blocks as the Trojans scored the final 11 points and 21 of the last 24 in a show of complete dominance.

Taylor (14-5, 5-2 CL) is set to face cross-county rival No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan (11-3, 7-0 CL) on Saturday, September 27, on the road, with the match set to begin at 1:00 pm.