Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Camel of the Edition is a series that seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out from the herd due to their recent performances or as a leader on campus or on their team.
Taylor Merrifield ‘27 is the dominant libero on the Connecticut College women’s volleyball team that has made the NESCAC championship for three straight seasons from 2023-2025. The senior from Honolulu, Hawaii, has been a defensive staple of the team’s roster and, now in her fourth season, is on pace to be top-10 in Connecticut College history in digs.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Merrifield as the team shapes up to make their fourth consecutive NESCAC Championship, extending the second-longest streak in program history, to talk about her impressive defensive consistency, record-chasing season in the white and blue, and some exciting matchups coming up as the team plans to finish strong.
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Taylor Merrifield. I’m class of 2027 from Honolulu, Hawaii. I’m majoring in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics, with a minor in Finance. I’m also part of Peggity Investment Club, Women in Finance, and AOCC.
Tell me about your sporting journey and when did volleyball become your focus?
Growing up, my mom had me try pretty much every sport. Even figure skating and horseback riding; all the random ones. I started playing volleyball when my sister started. She is two years older than me, so I was pretty young. I started in second grade, and I was also playing tennis at the time. I continued to play both until sixth grade, when I finally chose to focus on volleyball, where I played up in my age level until I was 16 and I’ve been playing ever since.
What was your recruitment process like and why did you end up choosing Conn?
Originally I was getting recruited to go to the Air Force Academy, which is a totally different process that starts a lot earlier; there’s a lot more that you have to do. I realized that I didn’t want to go to the Air Force Academy pretty late in the process, so I had to start from scratch. My auntie, who’s a private college counselor, sent me the list of the top 100 private schools in the nation and I reached out to almost all of them. I was talking to a lot of the NESCAC schools, and others like Vassar and Colgate. After talking to the coaches and some of the girls on the team, I narrowed it down to Wesleyan and Conn. I kind of wanted a chill [environment]. I didn’t want volleyball to be my whole life, but I still wanted it in my life, which is another reason why I wanted to play DIII. I also liked how it was a liberal arts school, but also had a finance minor, which is what I was always interested in.
As a Libero (L), can you talk about your role and responsibilities and also what makes the position so attractive to you?
Being from Hawaii, everyone is undersized, so everyone is a utility player. Everyone is proficient in every skill, which I think has helped me become better in my role because I understand all the others more. Libero is pretty much the only position I can play at my height at a higher level. I think being a libero is all about being consistent. This season, with the rotation that we’re running, I’m the only player on the court the whole time playing all around so I have to be a rock. My job is to not let the ball hit the floor. My role on the team is to stay calm under pressure and be consistent. I like playing libero because I think it’s one of the more mentally challenging positions. If the ball drops, that hurts. If I don’t get the ball up, then my team won’t have an opportunity to score. And even if I do get the ball up, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to win the point. Especially serve-receive. I think serve-receive is one of the toughest skills in volleyball and that’s pretty much the only thing I do apart from defense. In serve-receive, you have so much time to think and psych yourself out and defense is just reaction. In serve-receive, I run the court. I have to tell everyone their responsibilities and if a ball drops in a seam, that’s my fault.
In both the 2025 and 2024 seasons, you were 12th in the NESCAC in total digs even though you played, on average, 17 and 25 sets fewer than the players ahead of you. What makes you such a defensive problem for opposing offenses?
Well, I’m definitely not the fastest or the strongest. I think my strength lies in my ability to read the ball, read the attacker, and predict where the ball is going to be. It’s not the best way to play defense because sometimes I’m wrong but it usually works out. I have a joke with my assistant coach about how I play “old lady” volleyball because I take the fastest route to the ball, the most efficient route. “Old lady” volleyball has a higher IQ and I see things differently so I don’t make unnecessary moves to get to the ball.
In 2025 and 2024, you were also 10th (3.1) and 5th (4.15) in average digs per set in the NESCAC. How have you been able to achieve that level of efficiency?
Those years we ran rotational defense, which essentially made me in charge of digging on a majority of the court and that’s where the reading is super important because it’s such a large portion of the court. If you don’t have a good idea of where the attacker is going to hit it, and you’re going purely off reaction, you’re probably not gonna get the ball most of the time because of how big the area is. Because I was given that responsibility, I obviously had the most digs on the team, but this year, we’re running perimeter, so I’m getting a smaller section and so far, it’s been working, but it depends team to team. When we were running rotational, we did switch it up sometimes for a better matchup.
This season you are starting right where you left off, averaging 3.11 digs per set at 9th in the NESCAC. How have you been able to maintain that level of consistency year after year?
I mean, it’s very difficult. I’ve struggled a lot with injuries so, that’s why there are a lot of sets and games that I don’t play. I think most of the defense we’re running now is about being in the right spot at the right time because it’s super hard-driven. I think maybe it’s just trusting what your coach tells you to do. I sit in the spot that they tell me to and then hope for the best, and it usually works out.
You are currently on pace to be top 10 in total digs in Conn history later this season, with the potential to take the 9th spot. What does being enshrined in the record book mean for you and does it give any extra motivation in the back half of the year?
It definitely gives me extra motivation! I had no idea that that was a possibility, just because ever since freshman year, I’ve had the same recurring injuries; I’ve missed probably four games a season. I didn’t think that would even be a possibility but that makes me excited to hopefully finish strong and be in Conn’s history.
You have made the NESCAC championship each year with the team. What has that meant for you and the team being there so consistently and are there any memorable moments from those championships?
For the past couple of years, we’ve been the last seed, so we’ve had to play the top seed, which was also the team that we would play last in the regular season. So, essentially, we would lose to them, and then the next weekend have to go and play them again. We have a lot of fight, and I think we just need to be better at putting ourselves in a better position to go further in the tournament.
What do you hope to accomplish this season for yourself and the rest of the roster?
I would love a NESCAC championship but personally, I would love to stay healthy and continue to play for my teammates every game. My goal is to rediscover my love for volleyball and why I decided to keep playing in college. I feel like last year and at the beginning of this year, I really doubted that and couldn’t find that spark and love for the sport. I just want to have fun and end on a really good note.
What advice would you give to a young athlete to become the best possible player they can be?
Take care of yourself mentally. I feel like, especially during freshman year, it feels like you’re going through the motions and you really don’t have a second for yourself. I think it’s important to set boundaries with yourself and take a moment before practice and decompress.
Does the team have any special team bonding activities, traditions, or pre-game rituals?
Calabria before the games and for team bonding, I have a ridge this year, so we’ve done a few activities at my apartment.
What would be your walk out song for games?
Our walk out song this year is Thunderstruck (AC/DC) so I’m going to go with Thunderstruck or Bad Girls by M.I.A
Are there any games coming up that you guys have circled as exciting matchups that Camel fans need to tune into?
I’m super excited to play Middlebury (Oct. 30). It’s away, but I feel like every year we play them, we can win and we’re super close. We always play well; I feel like we can get them. We haven’t gotten them in a minute, so I just want to get them.
Is there anyone you would like to shout out or any last comments you would like to make?
Shout out Rae Wartelle ‘27. My captain, my NESCAC Player of the Week. Yeah, that’s my girl.
