TERRIFIC TRIO
November 8, 2005

WACO, Texas – For the second consecutive week, Texas Wesleyan University’s trio of Rachel Loftin, Whitney Johansen and Susan Taylor captured all three of the Red River Athletic Conference women’s volleyball weekly honors.  Loftin was named RRAC Player of the Week, Johansen is the Setter of the Week, and Taylor is the Libero of the Week.

Loftin, a senior middle blocker from Burleson, Texas, guided TWU to four more wins with double-digit kill totals in each match. She posted 19 kills in 34 total attempts with just two errors in a sweep of Southern Nazarene University (Okla.), and she added 18 more kills to overtake John Brown University (Ark.) in four games. Loftin also collected 14 digs and 18 blocks. She is the RRAC leader in hitting percentage and recorded a .469 percentage last week.

Johansen, a senior setter from Colleyville, Texas, teamed with Loftin all week en route to 156 assists. She accounted for at least 32 assists in each match and had a high of 48 assists against JBU. She also dished 38 assists against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Texas). Johansen provided defense with 48 digs on the week, and she pounded 11 aces. She is recognized with her fifth RRAC Setter of the Week award of the season.

Taylor, a senior libero from Southlake, Texas, also earned her fifth weekly award of the season as the defensive stalwart of the Lady Rams. She racked up 81 digs (6.31 per game) with 26 against JBU and 21 to knock off Texas Women’s University. Taylor only committed four errors in 63 receiving attempts and notched nine service aces.

The Lady Rams have now won a school-record 26 matches in a row. They finished the regular season with a perfect 16-0 mark in conference play and a 27-3 record overall. TWU will serve as the top seed in the RRAC Women’s Volleyball Championship tournament on Nov. 11-12.