Taylin McNair member of national runner-up UNK volleyball team

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The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) team fell in the final match at Saturday night’s NCAA Division II women’s volleyball championship, earning them runner-up honors.
Taylin McNair, a 2017 graduate of Chase County Schools and daughter of Alex and Kristi McNair of Imperial, is a member of the runner-up Loper volleyball team.
McNair played two years with the Knights at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte where she also received her Associate of Arts degree.
She then transferred to UNK this fall to further her education and volleyball career.
McNair, a junior setter, didn’t play in the post-season tournament.
“We thought she might have to,” Kristi said. The starting setter had the stomach flu but powered through.
Although the season didn’t end the way they hoped it would, the Lopers had a lot to be proud of as they walked off the court at the Auraria Event Center in Denver.
“It’s definitely a special year,” senior Julianne Jackson said. “I couldn’t be more excited and more proud to be part of a team like this.”
UNK, which won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) regular-season and tournament titles, reached the national championship match for the second time in program history.
The battle between the No. 2 Lopers and No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes on Saturday was the first-ever Division II title match featuring two undefeated volleyball teams.
With a four-set victory, San Bernardino (33-0) became just the third Division II school to finish a season unbeaten, while UNK (38-1) joined the 2005 Lopers as national runners-up.
Head UNK Coach Rick Squiers called this year’s team one of the best in UNK Athletics history.
“This is a season to remember, that’s for sure,” he said.
“I think we’ll point to this team for a long, long time about this is how you get the most out of yourself,” Squiers said. “This is how a group of seniors leads a team. This is how a group sticks together for a whole year.”
The Lopers started the season with a goal of advancing past the first round of the NCAA Division II tournament, something they hadn’t done since 2012. They shattered those expectations.

 

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