Trojans Battle to Tough Five-Set Loss in Crossroads League Play

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Trojans battled to a tough five-set loss against Crossroads League foe Grace (12-2, 3-0 CL) on Friday night. 

A dynamic defense kept Taylor in the match, totaling 69 digs and 11 blocks, which made up for a difficult night for the offense. 

Chelsea Hurt made an appearance in the final three sets, a season-high for the senior middle hitter, and helped Taylor bounce back after trailing two sets to zero. Hurt tallied five kills on eight swings while securing four blocks. 

TU (9-6, 0-3 CL) dropped the first set 25-22 before a tight set broke out in the second. Neither team found separation, as the score was always within three points and tied sixteen separate times. Taylor grabbed a late 22-21 lead before the teams traded points until Grace scored the final two for a 27-25 victory. 

The Trojans raced away to a 9-5 lead in the third, which forced a timeout, after which Taylor extended the lead to 16-8 before Grace used its final timeout. The Lancers tried to claw their way back, but Taylor closed the set on a 6-2 run for a 25-16 victory. 

Another close set broke open in the fourth when the Trojans scored four unanswered points for a 16-11 lead. The Lancers slowly cut away at the lead until the score was tied at 21. Three straight Gracie Conway kills gave the Trojans breathing room to force the match to a decisive fifth set. 

After an early 2-0 lead for the Trojans, the set was tied at each score from 2-2 until an 11-11 deadlock. Unfortunately, Grace scored the final four points to take the match and send the Trojans home empty-handed. 

Taylor will look to get into the win column in Crossroads League play on Saturday, September 16, against No. 25 Mount Vernon Nazarene (14-3, 2-1 CL), with the match set for 3:00 pm in Mount Vernon, Ohio.