Taylour Toso
Taylour Toso, a junior middle blocker and a captain on the UT Dallas women’s volleyball team, has been recognized as one of the nation’s top players.
She was selected a 2013 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III second-team All-American after being named to the association’s All-Region team. Toso also was named the 2013 Most Valuable Player for the American Southwest Conference (ASC).
“It’s really awesome,” Toso said of the awards. “But I wouldn’t have been selected without such a successful team behind me. This is really a team product.”
During the recently completed season, in which the Comets advanced to the 2013 ASC Volleyball Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed, Toso set school records for kills (a point-scoring spike), solo blocks and hitting percentage.
“This was Taylour’s best year on the court, for her leadership on and off the court, and the confidence she showed in her teammates,” said Marci Sanders, UT Dallas women’s volleyball head coach. “She was definitely deserving of this award this year.”
Toso, who began playing volleyball in the seventh grade in Helotes, just outside of San Antonio, picked up her third All-ASC honor in as many years, collecting second-team All-ASC recognition as a freshman and third-team honors as a sophomore.
Junior middle blocker Taylour Toso played in all 40 UT Dallas matches this year, setting the school's single-season record with 477 kills.
As a middle blocker, Toso said she enjoys the fast pace and “huge adrenaline” of volleyball. Her role is anticipating attacks, blocking shots and pivoting quickly to keep the ball alive for teammates to score. She also excels in driving the ball home over the net.
The 6-foot-tall, speech pathology major played in all 40 UT Dallas matches this year, setting the school's single-season record with 477 kills. She also had 33 solo blocks, 71 block assists and a hitting percentage of .338.
The Comets also picked up the league’s top coaching staff honor for the sixth time in the program’s 10-year history. Sanders and her assistant coach, Zach Villarreal, were named the ASC Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Comets to a 17-1 record in league competition and the regular season title.
“If it weren’t for the success of the team, obviously Zach and I wouldn’t have garnered this recognition. We’re just thankful for everything they did for us,” Sanders said.
UT Dallas sophomores Kayla Jordan and Meredith Crawford joined Toso on the ASC’s first team; sophomore Abbie Barth was named to the second team; and freshman Mary Speights was selected for the third team. Freshman Holyn Handley picked up honorable mention. Barth and Jordan also received honorable mentions in the AVCA All-Region team.
The Comets won their first match in the championship tournament before losing in the second round to eventual regional winner Cal Lutheran University.