The Trojans have once again moved up in the NAIA, now ranked No. 20. However, as the Crossroads League competition tends to go every year, things tend to ramp up when conference teams play one another.
That’s exactly what Taylor has ahead of them. Sitting in fourth place, they have six conference games before the highly anticipated Crossroads League Tournament on Nov. 8-15.
What makes this conference and tournament unique is how anyone can beat anyone on any given night.
The Trojans’ upcoming conference games include #RV Marian and #RV Huntington, with their final game of the regular season being a rivalry game against Indiana Wesleyan. Fortunately, four of these games will be at home in Upland. Up to this point, the Trojans have a 7-5 conference record.
IWU are the defending CL champions after they finished last season 37-2 overall and won the title 3-1 against Marian. The Wildcats are a favorite to win it again this year, as they have a perfect 12-0 conference record, putting them in first place in the CL.
Not only did IWU win the CL tournament last season, but they also won the NAIA National Championship 3-2 against the Bellevue Bruins.
For the Trojans, their most notable conference win this season was on Oct. 11 when they won on their home floor against the now ranked No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars 3-2. The game went a full five sets, each one closely contested. Taylor eventually pulled away in the fifth set, winning 15-13.
Their most recent game was also a road conference game against the Grace Lancers, who are 6-6 in conference, 13-11 overall. The Trojans fell far short of the mark, losing 3-0. However, head coach Erin Luthy said each player came to the following practice hungry and willing to go above and beyond to improve.
Senior libero McKaylah Flagle had 34 digs in the game against Grace and has 401 total this season. For the past three years, she has been one of the most valuable defenders for Taylor, playing in nearly every game and commanding the defense through every point. Earlier this month, she was named CL Defender-of-the-Week for the third time in her career.
In preparation for the tournament, the Trojans have been working on staying disciplined in the things they can control.
“Our games are starting to matter a lot more right now. We just have been putting emphasis on doing the little things,” Flagle said.
Last season, she reached 1,000 career digs and averaged 4.87 digs per set, which put her in third place in the CL.
The Trojans are also led by junior Ellie Frey, who is a Division I transfer from Grand Canyon University. She is second overall in the NAIA for kills with 392 and fourth in kills per set with 4.45 in just 24 games.
Sophomore Daya Vestal, who has moved into a starting position this year, said she has gotten better at seeing her blockers and reading the setter.
She also highlighted her team’s depth that gives them an advantage over other CL teams.
“We’re like two to three deep in every position, we have a lot of versatility with our front row and back row,” Vestal said. “You can put a lot of our hitters on either pin.”
In reference to their tough conference schedule coming up, Luthy highlighted the nature of the conference.
“Every night (conference game) is an absolute battle. We (CL teams) have different strengths and abilities across the board and we honestly have different styles of play, so we have to be extremely strategic in our scouting,” Luthy said.
The Trojans have a challenging road ahead, one that’s filled with opportunities to take down high-level teams.
