The NAIA Top 25 Poll ranked Taylor volleyball No. 13 on Sept. 16, as the Trojans stood third in the NAIA for kills with 922.
Taylor began their season with a series of tournaments in Florida, Oregon and Indiana. A victory over No. 6 Corban in Salem, Ore. and a sweep of both the Onset Invitational in Fort Wayne and Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament highlighted performance for the Trojans. Following AMF, Taylor began exclusive Crossroads League play until bids for the NAIA National Championship release later in the season.
“That preseason is preparing, because the Crossroads League basically beats up on everybody else,” head coach Erin Luthy said. “As we’re heading into our own league, it’s going to be a boxing match.”
The CL currently boasts four teams in the Top 25. Indiana Wesleyan sits at No. 7, with Mount Vernon Nazarene and Grace ranking No. 19 and No. 23, respectively.
In the 2025 season, now-senior outside hitter Ellie (Frey) Herschberger headlined for the Trojans as First-Team for the CL and Third-Team All-American. This year, she was sidelined with an undisclosed injury for several games. Despite missing an All-American, Luthy said she is proud of the way the players — both underclassmen and upperclassmen — have stepped in to cover the court.
“I’ve moved around a lot,” freshman defensive specialist Emily Livengood said. “I really appreciate all of those places. I got to be willing to strengthen mentally and be at my best whatever position.”
Livengood started playing right back and serving specialist at the beginning of the season before shifting to middle back. She spent most of her high school career playing left back. Players moving into new positions, along with those who saw limited minutes last season taking on more prominent roles has strengthened the Trojan court.
“Statistically speaking this year, we’re very even, very steady, which is actually a really scary team to play,” Luthy said. “We have multiple threats.”
Senior setter Margo Hernandez has proved to be a threat in the CL, earning Setter-of-the-Week for the conference three times within the first five weeks of the season. She leads the team with 773 assists, averaging 9.78 assists per set. Hernandez attributed her success to her teammates and Abby Porter, the new setting coach for the Trojans.
Last year, the Trojans ran a 6-2 rotation with Hernandez and alumna setter Lindsay Springer splitting duty. This year, Taylor has relied on Hernandez to implement a 5-1 rotation, as she acts as the solo setter.
“Our passing has just been so amazing this year, so I’m able to run an offense that’s quick,” Hernandez said. “We really focus this year on trying to speed up our offense.”
Taylor’s swiftness carried them to a 3-1 win against Huntington on Sept. 19, with Herschberger stepping back into play to lead the Trojans with 12 kills on the Foresters. Hernandez provided 40 assists for another solid performance, while junior middle hitter Daya Vestal contributed eight kills and three blocks.
Following their victory over Huntington, Taylor sits at a 4-2 conference record (16-5 overall) behind 5-1 tallies for both IWU and Grace.
Indiana Wesleyan’s singular loss came against an unranked Marian on Sept. 9, where the Knights dealt the Wildcats their first CL home loss since 2022.
With high-level play and coaching, the CL prioritizes their scouting of one another, Luthy said. As they continue in their first round of the prizefight, it is important to the Trojans to decipher not only how their CL rivals play, but also how the rivals are viewing the purple and gray’s film.
“Mondays and Thursdays are about us, Tuesdays and Fridays are about them (CL rivals),” Luthy said. “We don’t take them for granted.”
The Trojans proceed with the first half of the CL double round-robin format to play Marian in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.
