Taylor (34-5), winners of the last three MCC regular season titles, will make its first national tournament appearance since the 2001 season. That's also the last time Taylor won a conference tournament championship-until today.

"This team has worked so hard to make tonight a reality," Taylor head coach Brittany Smith said following the match, "and I couldn't be more excited for each one of them. Being able to say they were part of this and returning to see their banner hanging in the gym is something special."

The Trojans dominated from the beginning, trailing Goshen only once in the entire match at 2-1 in the third set. Taylor's front row hit at a clip of .370, their fourth highest mark of the season. The Maple Leafs were held to .129 after Taylor posted six blocks as a team.

"Our fans were outstanding tonight and the team has really responded well to big game situations all year long," Smith said. "I am proud of the way these 14 ladies have represented themselves and the tradition of Taylor volleyball."

Sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Pritchard paved the way for the Trojans with 13 kills. Four other players recorded at least eight kills for a balanced Taylor offensive attack. Colleen Nelis posted nine kills on just ten total attempts to hit at a clip of .900. Sophomore setter Betsy Brown directed the attack by dishing out 41 assists.

Courtney Herschberger collected a match high 15 digs for Taylor, while Amanda Beebe added 11. The trio of Nelis, Pritchard, and Bethany Beck each had three blocks.

Conference Player of the Year Peni Acayo led Goshen with 17 kills and 11 digs. The Maple Leafs ended their season 17-16 after the program's first appearance in a conference tournament championship match.

Following the match five different Trojans were recognized with MCC postseason honors. Pritchard, Brown, and Jackie Geile were named First Team All-MCC, while Beck was a second team selection. For the second straight season, Brown was named the MCC Setter of the Year. Herschberger was picked as Libero of the Year in addition to being selected for the All-Freshmen squad.

The Trojans will find out on Sunday their opening round opponent and the location of the match. Pairings will be posted Sunday on www.naia.org.

Staying home is a possibility for next Saturday's contest, as Taylor has submitted a bid to host one of 12 opening round matches. The winners of those 12 matches will advance to the final national tournament site to join 12 other teams in Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 1-5.