June 9, 2020
Taylor excited about Grand View volleyball
By Metro Sports Report
Taylor Carey and Alexa Aldrich-Ingram became really good friends when they played on the Kirkwood volleyball team during the 2018 season and helped the Eagles finish fourth in the national tournament.
Now Carey and Aldrich-Ingram will be teammates again, this time at Grand View University in Des Moines.
"She's one of my best friends," said Carey. "I'm really excited."
Aldrich-Ingram was an All-American during her only year at Kirkwood in 2018 when Carey was a freshman. Aldrich-Ingram then left for Grand View, where she helped the Vikings reach the NAIA national tournament this past season and finish with a 30-11 record and No. 12 national ranking.
Carey stayed at Kirkwood in 2019 and helped the Eagles place ninth at nationals and finish with a 29-15 mark as a sophomore. When Carey began looking for a four-year school to continue her volleyball career, she naturally checked with her good friend about Grand View.
Aldrich-Ingram gave the Vikings a glowing review and strongly encouraged Carey to join the team. It helped that Carey is from Waukee in the Des Moines suburbs, just a short drive from Grand View University.
"I definitely wanted to be closer to home, closer to my family," she said.
Carey, a 6-foot-1 hitter, collected 249 kills, 211 blocks and 70 digs for Kirkwood last season and was named first team all-conference. One of the highlights was compiling a 3 -1 record at the national tournament.
"I thought we did really well," she said. "We were a really close-knit team."
Carey will be heading about two hours away to Des Moines, but she'll be leaving Cedar Rapids with fond memories of her two years at Kirkwood with the Eagles.
"I'll be watching them and cheering for them all the way," she promised.
