Taylor Gates

Gates and Hicks at the Net vs TXST 10.16.2020

Position:
Right Side Hitter/Setter
Height:
6-2
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Kansas City, Mo.
High School:
Liberty North HS

Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week (Sept. 15, 22, 29, 2020)

2020 (Freshman)
Competed in 17 matches and saw time in 40 sets during collegiate debut season ... shared starting duties at right side hitter with fellow freshman Lauren Tishkoff ... was the starter at right side hitter through the first half of Sun Belt Conference play ... tallied multiple kills in 10 of 17 matches played leading to a Ragin' Cajuns freshman-high total of 85 kills ... final kills per set rate of 2.1 was also tops amongst rookies ... landed at least five kills on eight occasions ... recorded a .227 hitting percentage over the 225 attack attempts taken ... passed out eight assists and scored six service aces ... collected 28 digs and totaled 12 blocks ... had multiple digs six times and multiple blocks three times ... ran the setter position briefly during the series opener vs. Texas State on Oct. 16 marking her first time playing the position at the collegiate level ... claimed Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week honors three consecutive weeks in September (Sept. 15, 22, 29) ... became the first Ragin' Cajun to receive multiple SBC Freshman of the Week awards since Hali Wisnoskie was a three-time winner in 2017 ... was part of the starting lineup for the season opener vs. Houston Baptist on Sept. 4 ... after sitting on the HBU finale, returned to the rotation starting with the South Alabama series (Sept. 11-12) ... netted first collegiate matches of multiple kills and set a season-high total twice vs. USA ... the 14 total kills during the series were the second-most recorded by a Ragin' Cajun ... found the floor five times off 16 swings in the opening match with the Jaguars and followed up with nine kills off 17 swings on a .412 hitting percentage on Saturday including three timely kills which wrapped up the 2-0 match lead ... turned in a second consecutive week of two-plus kills per set with a .300-plus hitting percentage during the sweep of Lamar (Sept. 18-19) ... averaged 2.5 kills per set on a .316 hitting percentage over 38 total swings in the doubleheader ... weekend performance was highlighted by an eight-kill effort in the finale which was generated by playing error-free on just 14 swings on a .571 hitting percentage ... landed five kills throughout a tightly contested second set in the series opener, and had a hand on the block which secured set point in the 27-25 win ... totaled 20 kills in a single weekend for the first time in her collegiate career during Louisiana's visit to Little Rock (Sept. 25-26) ... bulk of the production came in only two matches of extensive action, starting with a new season high total of 10 kills off 21 swings in the nightcap on Friday followed by nine kills in the series finale ... helped set the tone for the straight sets sweep of the series finale, landing eight kills off of 12 error-free swings over the first two sets ... had a pair of four-dig efforts and had a hand in at least one block throughout the series ... scored would-be season-high total of 14 kills in the opening match of the road series at ULM on Oct. 2 ... landed eight kills off of 11 error-free swings in the final two sets to help the Ragin' Cajuns take control and break free from a 1-all match tie ... supplied 12 kills to pace Louisiana's efforts in the series-opening win over Arkansas State (Oct. 23) ... with seven kills (off of only eight swings) in the second set played a deciding factor in a 25-23 win which gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 2-0 match lead, then later snapped a 12-all tie with a kill giving the team the lead for good in the decisive fourth-set victory ... netted a kill on all four swings in a relief appearance to spark a 5-0 run which erased an 18-16 ULM lead in the third set of the series finale at Earl K. Long Gym, placing Louisiana on track to complete the straight sets sweep.

High School
Competed at middle blocker and setter for Liberty North (Mo.) High School in the greater Kansas City area … graduated in December 2019, then enrolled at Louisiana for the spring 2020 semester … was a four-year varsity performer for Liberty North, completing her prep career as the school's record holder for kills in a match (21), season (328) and career (960) … was a four-time all-district and all-conference selection, and an AVCA All-Region choice as a senior … final career numbers included 960 kills, 140 total blocks, 675 digs, 92 aces and a .238 hitting percentage … produced single-season bests of 328 kills and 215 digs during her senior season in fall 2019 … on the club circuit, competed with Club North Volleyball as a setter and pin-player … her squad won 2015 Northern Lights American Division Title and advanced to the Girls Junior National Championships 2015, 2017 and 2019 … also competed for the USAV High Performance Teams.

Personal
Born May 26, 2002 in St. Cloud, Minn. … daughter of Bob and Karen Gates … has an older sister, Alison, who played volleyball at the United States Coast Guard Academy … both parents played collegiately at the University of Minnesota … was a four-time academic all-state award winner and valedictorian candidate … was active in her community, working with a local volleyball club teaching the fundamentals of volleyball … majoring in biology (with emphasis on dietetics) with a minor in business management … desires to own and operate a vegan restaurant.