Taylor Takes Down Lancers
UPLAND – Grace’s volleyball team was unable to pick up a late-season road win on Wednesday, falling at Taylor 3-1.
The Lady Lancers (15-16, 9-7 Crossroads League) won the opening set, but they were unable to maintain that momentum against the Trojans (19-15, 8-8 CL).
The first set started brightly for the Lady Lancers. Grace won seven of the first nine points, the last of which was a kill by Alexa Hill that forced a Taylor timeout.
Grace led by as many as 10 in the opening set; Taylor managed to trim the margin down to four late in the set, but a kill from Deborah Michalski gave Grace a 25-20 victory.
The Lady Lancers’ early advantage was lost in the next game. The Trojans jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, and the Trojans pulled ahead 10-4.
Grace rattled off seven unanswered points at that stage, however, to grab the lead. Jadyn Block and Michalski had kills during the run, and an ace from Autumn Deshetsky forced a Taylor timeout.
The momentum continued as Grace led 18-15 and seemed poised for a smooth road win. But Taylor showed resolve with a 5-0 run. The Trojans produced a few timely plays late to hold on for a 25-23 win.
Taylor never trailed for the rest of the match. The Trojans won the third set by eight and the fourth set by 10 en route to a 3-1 victory.
Michalski led Grace with 11 kills, and Block added eight kills. Makaela Lochmueller had six kills and a solo block, Hill handed out 30 assists with nine digs, and Gina Novotny produced a team-high 23 digs.
Grace’s loss snapped a six-match winning streak that the Lady Lancers owned in the series with Taylor.
The Lady Lancers end the regular season with a pair of home matches, starting with No. 15 Marian on Saturday at 3 p.m. The regular season finale is against Huntington on Nov. 6.
Grace is currently fifth in the league standings, a game ahead of Taylor and a game behind Mt. Vernon Nazarene.