Upland, Ind. - The Marian volleyball team played strong in moments, but were unable to outmatch No. 11 Taylor as the Trojans swept the Knights to claim the Crossroads League Tournament Championship. Marian will end the CL Tournament with a 23-6 record.
Taylor started strong against the Knights in the opening set, as they built a 7-3 lead, which would quickly turn into a 13-5 advantage. The Knights used their first timeout, but were unable to slow down the Trojans as they continued their run to build a double-digit lead. A block from Jaymison Summers and Avery Toole would help Marian get snap the run, but Taylor continued to swell the lead. Skyler Van Note attempted to rally Marian back, but could not carry the load as Marian fell 25-10.
Marian flipped the switch to start the second set, scoring five of the first six points with Jai-Lyn Norwood leading the charge. Taylor would rally with a 5-0 run of their own to take the lead, and later using another run to go in front 13-7. A Taylor service error and a Van Note kill helped Marian get back in system, with the senior helping the Knights claw back within one point. Trailing 20-19, Marian continued to fight and took the lead at 22-21 after Averi Lanman drilled a kil. Marian had forced set point at 24-23, but a Ryan Czerniak spoiled their chance to take the set. Tied 24-24, Marian and Taylor exchanged punches, but a pair of service errors spoiled Marian's opportunity to extend the game as they would lose 28-26.
Trailing 0-2, Marian again fell behind as Taylor skied in front 6-2. The Knights would call a timeout and use a 4-0 run to tie the game, but Taylor would slam the run shut with a Kacy Bragg kill. The two sides exchanged blows, but a 4-0 run from Taylor would extend their lead to six in the third set. Taylor held a lead of five or more after taking their 16-10 lead, rolling through the final 16 rallies to end the match with a 25-17 victory.
Taylor as a team held a hitting percentage 20 points higher than the Knights, and out-blocked Marian 13-5. Skyler Van Note led Marian in kills with nine, while also adding a team-high nine digs. Norwood finished with eight kills and Madison Brooks had five, and from the setting position Katie Hardegree had a team-high 14 assists. Lanman had two solo blocks in the defeat, and Logan Smith had Marian's only service ace of the match.
The NAIA Selection Show will air on Monday morning at 11 a.m. Fans and students can join the Marian team in the dining commons on Monday morning to watch the selection show, or tune in to the NAIA YouTube Channel to watch the premier video.
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