Upland, Ind. - The Marian volleyball team capped an undefeated week on the road Saturday afternoon by claiming a season sweep against Taylor University, sweeping the match 3-0 on the Trojans' senior day. Marian is now 19-6 overall on the season and 10-5 in the Crossroads League.

Marian never trailed in the opening set Saturday afternoon, pushing in front 8-5 after 13 rallies, while a 4-0 run sparked by Mikayla Christiansen gave the team a 12-7 advantage. The Trojans would rebound within two multiple times before the set closed, but a 3-0 run that featured kills from Sarah Bennett and Madison Brooks gave Marian a 16-11 lead. Another run for Marian, this time a 4-0 sprint paced by Bennett and Gabby Fish, gave Marian the lead for good, as they turned a 21-14 lead into a 25-17 victory.

The Knights' dominance continued into the second set, as led the entire set after gathering a 12-7 lead. A 5-1 run played a key role in giving Marian command in the set, as a block from Nicole Wilkinson set the score. Taylor would claw back within a point of the Knights, but were unable to overtake Marian as FIsh, Brooks, and Bennett posted timely kills, pushing the lead to six at 20-14 following a 6-1 run. Marian would go on to score five of the final nine points, winning the second set 25-19.

Leading the match 2-0, Marian quickly blitzed the Trojans in the third set as they grabbed a 6-1 edge. The Trojans rallied back and tied the set 9-9, but Marian put an end to the run with back to back points from Mikayla Christiansen. Khori Dryden helped push the lead to four as two kills under Emma Lyons' serve gave the team a 15-11 lead, and held at four points moments later as the Knights went on another 3-0 run. The Trojans would inch back within a point before the match ended as a 3-0 run made the score 22-21, but the Knights stood tall, getting three unanswered points to end the afternoon with the 3-0 sweep, as the final score showed 25-21 in the third set. 

Christiansen led the team in kills with 12, as she hit .367 while adding five block assists and six digs to her game totals. Khori Dryden finished the match with 10 kills, and Madison Brooks had eight kills and two block assists. Logan Smith had a team-high 19 assists in the win, and Emma Lyons led Marian with 10 digs. Nicole Wilkinson had four block assists in the win.

As a team, Marian hit .303 in the match and had 58 digs. 

Marian will aim to get their third consecutive win as they end their road trip on Wednesday night, traveling to No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats.

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