OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – After helping lead the Johnson County volleyball program to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 NJCAA Division II National Tournament, sophomore outside hitter Taylor McCarthy was named first-team All-American by VolleyballMag.com. She is just third player in team history to be selected All-American by VolleyballMag.com, joining 2021 recipients Sydney Sample and Maddie Steiner.
McCarty was one of 12 players selected to the NJCAA D-II team by a panel of coaches and experts at VolleyballMag.com. She joins two other players from the KJCCC D-II ranks on the team: Vivianna Solis from Cowley and Nicole Hughes from Kansas City Kansas.
McCarthy joined the program this fall after playing her freshman season at Regis University in Denver, and her addition has been key to the team's success. She had reached double figures in kills in 17 matches of the 27 matches she played before suffering a foot injury that has kept her out of the lineup since early October. She was back on the court when the Cavaliers opened play at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament, and she played a big role. She was double figures in kills in three of the four matches, tallying 43 total kills for the tournament.
Even with her missing playing time, McCarthy ranked second on the team and 11th in the conference with 302 kills. Her kills-per-set average of 3.18 ranked seventh in the conference and her .287 kill percentage ranked sixth. In the fourth week this season, McCarthy was selected as the KJCCC D-II Offensive Player of the Week.
McCarthy played her prep volleyball locally at Shawnee Mission Northwest. She was rated the No. 13 hitter in the state of Kansas by Maxpreps.com her senior year, and was selected second-team All-State by the Kansas Volleyball Association. She also was a two-time first-team All-Sunflower league selection.