Frey Powers RV Taylor to a Pair of Victories to Open Play at the AMFM Tournament

UPLAND, Ind. – RV Taylor (7-3) rode an efficient attack and dominant block to a pair of wins to open up play at the Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament on Friday.

Ellie Frey was dominant in a five-set win over Pikeville to begin the AMFM Tournament on Friday, lashing out 30 kills on an astounding .404 hitting percentage. The 30 mark is the highest in a single match in the Erin Luthy era, dating back to 2016. The transfer outside hitter added 14 digs for a double-double and had a pair of aces in an all-around terrific display on the court.

The Trojans looked prime for a sweep after cruising to a 25-8 win in the opening set. Frey had four kills in the set, and Taylor had 12 to just one error as the squad hit .458.

The hot hitting cooled in the second set, and a back-and-forth affair saw Taylor with a slim 24-23 lead. Pikeville (1-4) responded with three straight points to even up the match at one apiece.

Taylor jumped out to an 8-1 lead to begin the third and never looked back, with Daya Vestal delivering three of her 11 match kills in the 25-13 rout. The sophomore middle was outstanding all day with a combined 20 kills on a .475 hitting percentage.

Looking to close out the match in four, Taylor used a late 6-2 run fueled by Vestal and Frey to take a commanding 23-19 lead. Needing just two points to take the set and the match, the Bears rallied to take the final six points and force a fifth set against the stunned Trojans.

A tight final frame swung in the Trojans' favor as Frey and Reagan Salzbrenner, who notched 11 kills in the match, powered a 3-0 run to grab a 12-8 lead. Salzbrenner stayed hot and bookmarked a 3-0 run with kills to finish out the set and notch the all-important win for TU.

Margo Hernandez was terrific, handing out 34 assists and notching 16 digs, while leading the team with three service aces. McKaylah Flagle paced the squad with 24 digs wearing the libero shirt along with two aces.

Taylor took down Campbellsville in straight sets to finish the opening day, as a dominant block held the Tigers to .116 hitting percentage and Alexa Mader racked up eight blocks.

Campbellsville (4-6) raced out to an 8-4 lead in the opener before Taylor used a 7-2 run to take the lead at 15-12 with a pair of blocks capping the scoring surge.

The Tigers persisted and eventually took the lead at 22-21 as the teams headed down the stretch. A critical timeout by the Trojans swung the momentum back, and two more blocks by Mader and Shaye Watson completed a 4-1 stretch to close out the set in TU's favor.

A tight second set was blown open when Suzanne Storey stepped to the service line and delivered an 8-0 run capped by a pair of aces from the defensive specialist. Taylor eased to victory, scoring 14 of the final 16 points in a 25-11 win.

The teams were even in the third until a Reagan Kleiman kill sparked a 5-0 run to give Taylor a commanding 21-15 lead.

Campbellsville showed no quit, getting within three, but a Frey kill, Storey ace, and Tiger error ended the match, with Taylor taking home a sweep to cap an impressive opening day at the AMFM Tournament.

The Trojans continue play in the Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament on Saturday, August 30, with a morning match against No. 19 Missouri Baptist (7-1) at 9:30 am, followed by the final game against RV Indiana Tech (3-3) set to begin at 5:00 pm.