UPLAND, IN – In the midst of an up and down season that has seen big wins, and gut-wrenching defeats, the Spring Arbor Volleyball team traveled to Upland, IN to take on Taylor in hopes of righting the ship. 
  
Set one was a back and forth affair, that saw runs from both sides, starting with Taylor going on a 5-0 run to jump out to a 10-4 lead, quickly followed by a 7-1 Cougar charge that tied the score at 11 all. From that point on, the two teams were relatively even, with the Trojans just a little bit better, outlasting Spring Arbor to get the set one win, 25-21.
 
In set two, the Cougars flipped the script, going down 7-9, before going on a scintillating 15-1 run that all but sealed the set, which went the Cougars way, 25-14. Kendall Bollenbacher spearheaded the Cougars dominance in the set, recording 4 kills, 2 blocks, and an assist. 
 
The Cougars carried their momentum into set three, this time a little more methodically, going through multiple periods of trading points with the Trojans, before two 4-0 runs late in the set pushed the Cougars ahead, ultimately resulting in a 25-19 set win. Bollenbacher once again was the leader of the attack, notching five kills in the set. 
 
The beginning of set four looked to be all SAU, as the Lady Cougars stormed out to a 6-0 lead courtesy of a Keely Hinzman kill, a Hinzman and Bollenbacher block, a Camy Wedge Ace, and multiple errors by the Trojans. However, Taylor wasn't going down without a fight, battling throughout the set and getting the deficit as close as one multiple times. That was as close as they would get though, as Spring Arbor held on to their lead, and were able to win the set 25-22, as well as the match in four sets, 3-1. 
 

VS. Taylor
SCORE: Spring Arbor 3, Taylor 1 (21-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-22)
LOCATION: Upland, IN. | Taylor University
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 8-6, 2-3 Taylor 6-11, 1-4
 
 
MATCH NOTES

• Kendall Bollenbacher led the offensive attack with 13 kills, but also had a great overall game, notching a double-double with 10 digs, and adding 5 blocks. Isabelle Kirkendall, Kelsie Lilly, and Keely Hinzman also had significant contributions offensively, with Kirkendall notching 9 kills, Lilly adding 7, and Hinzman chipping in 6. 
• Gabby Bryja led the way in assists with 18, while also contributing 8 digs. Camy Wedge added 14 assists, along with 2 aces. 
• Defensively, the Cougars were electric, with multiple players filling up the stat sheet. In the back row, Kirstyn Throop and Sheridan Young were lockdown, with Throop recording 17 digs, as well as 3 aces, and Young adding 10 digs and 2 aces. At the net is where the Cougars especially shined, with Hinzman leading the way with 6 blocks, Julia Mitchell adding 5, and Kelsie Lilly recording 4. Bollenbacher also had 5 as previously mentioned.
• With the win against her alma mater, Coach Betsy Martinez recorded her 100^th career victory, all coming in her time as coach at Spring Arbor. 

 UP NEXT
Spring Arbor will return home to American 1 Credit Union Arena to take on Saint Francis as they continue Crossroads League play on Saturday, Sept. 21^st. First serve is set for 6:00 PM