Triway’s Mathis setting up team’s hitters at a rapid rate

It didn’t take long for Triway sophomore volleyball player Taylor Mathis to assert herself as one of the top setters in the area.

As a freshman a year ago, she was able to stand out on a team loaded with veteran hitters.

This fall, despite still being an underclassman herself, Mathis is helping a new crop of hitters find their place at the varsity levels, along with securing a spot in the school record book.

“Last year she seamlessly established her presence on the floor with a group of very seasoned players,” Titans coach Jacki Zody said. “This year she was tasked with adjusting to a new group of hitters inexperienced at the varsity level. It has been a year of growth for all of us.

“Taylor has an integral role in the development of this team as she is the lone player who touches the ball every time it’s on our side.”

In a little less than two prep seasons, Mathis recently surpassed the 1,000-assist mark — accomplishing a feat that typically takes most setters until late in their careers. She needed just 42 matches to do it.

Making the feat even more impressive is the fact she nearly had 500 of those assists last season in a 6-2 offense that saw her as one of two setters that typically only played three rotations.

Now in a 5-1 offense under Zody, she sets every rotation and has 536 assists in 17 matches, with plenty more opportunities to add to that in the closing weeks of the season.

“Taylor is an incredible athlete with an excellent understanding of the game of volleyball,” Zody said. “She makes some exceptional plays on balls that many players would be unable to pick up. She really has very good all-around skills and ball control, and she continually strives to improve her game in all areas.”

And after making the transition from middle school volleyball to the varsity game last season, distributing the ball to a veteran crop of hitters, she has quickly made a new group of teammates succeed at the high school level.

Junior middle hitter Audrey Walton already is well over 200 kills on the season, with sophomore outside Mia Mariola, junior outside Lauren Fishburn and junior middle Sydney Frank also above 100 winners with a handful of matches left to play this fall.

“Taylor has improved on that all season, as the numbers show,” Zody said. “Every hitter hits the ball at a different cadence, so Taylor has had to really learn what type of set is most effective for each hitter. She has broadened her setting options with different quality passes to increase our chances of success on each swing.

“Our communication between players is improving, and Taylor is learning to communicate effectively with her hitters to get the job done.”

Much of that improvement for Mathis started well before the season started in August. Her experience at the club level and increasing her weight training have allowed her to pursue passes from any angle and turn them into a perfectly placed set for one of her teammates to put away.

Sure, her natural ability and knowledge of the sport helped her to quickly make an impact a year ago, but this season the passer has taken it to a new level.

The result has been one of the fastest area players to reach the century mark, but more importantly, it allowed her to take more of a leadership role on a team that desperately needed a veteran to lead the way with a host of first-year players on the roster.

According to Zody, the best is yet to come.

“She is beginning to develop the leadership she needs to run the offense as the setter,” the coach said. “She is learning to deliver the ball to the hitters’ wheelhouse with more consistency, greatly improving the efficiency of our offense.

“It is fantastic that Taylor has reached the 1,000-assist milestone this early in her career. However, it’s only the first 1,000 assists, and she has set her sights on a few thousand more by the time she finishes her Triway volleyball career.”