Trojans Push No. 8 IWU to the Limit in Thrilling Five-Set Defeat on Senior Day

UPLAND, Ind. – In a match so good it required extra points, RV Taylor fell in five sets against No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan (23-4, 16-1 CL) after celebrating five seniors before the match.

TU was on the brink of a massive upset in the fifth set leading 14-11, with three chances at match point. Eva Joldersma denied TU victory with a pair of kills before the squads traded blows. The Wildcats benefitted from an error before a block gave the visitors the se and the match.

The Wildcats looked to have the match in hand in the fourth leading two sets to one and holding a 20-17 advantage late in the set.

McKaylah Flagle stepped to the service line and fired Taylor to eight straight points with a pair of aces and Ava Kraft hammering down a pair of kills to extend the match to a fifth.

The Trojans had been rolling in the fourth before IWU stunned them with a 5-0 run to force an effective timeout by Head Coach Erin Luthy and TU responded with the next eight points.

The opening set was tight as each team's offense struggled to find any rhythm, evident by more combined errors than kills. After Ruth Anderson's fourth block in the first, TU held a slim 19-18 advantage but could not keep the lead as the Wildcats raced out to win 25-21.

Trailing by a set and staring a 17-8 deficit in the face, the Trojans dug deep in the second set. Mackenzie Rogers entered the match and made an immediate impact with a block and a kill, and the net presence of Anderson continued to stand tall with two more blocks to cut the lead to two.

The veteran Wildcats pushed the lead to three, but Lindsay Springer collected a trio of assists to three different attackers to get within one. The senior from Bluffton, Indiana was terrific with 22 assists and 21 digs for a double-double.

The second want passed the required 25 points as the even squads battled all night long. TU denied IWU a pair of set points before Ellie Frey delivered a kill followed by a block from Anderson and Rogers to send the crowd into a frenzy and notch the match at one set apiece.

Taylor's fight was on display all night, not showing any quit in the third after trailing 20-16. Margo Hernandez fired a pair of aces in a 4-0 run to level the score. The Wildcats stayed steady to edge the Trojans in the third 25-23 though.

The Trojans late-season defensive surge was in full effect. Flagle led the charge with 25 of the teams 110 digs, the most by TU since 2016. At the net Anderson piled up ten blocks and the team had 16, which was the most since 2022.

Frey led the offense with 20 kills and added 20 digs, four blocks, and an ace for another incredible display on the court. Daya Vestal got back to her early season ways with ten kills on 21 swings without an error.

Before the match, Taylor celebrated its five seniors, Flagle, Reagan Salzbrenner, Tori Kik, Springer and Kraft, each joined by family and loved ones on the court.

RV Taylor (19-10, 10-7 CL) wraps up its regular season schedule against Bethel (16-14, 8-9 CL) on Wednesday, November 4, on the road with the match set to begin at 7:00 pm.