Staff Writer
The Troy volleyball team’s win streak came to an end this weekend after two tough losses to the two Texas Sun Belt schools.
On Friday night, Troy took on the UTA Mavericks in the Trojan Arena. The Mavericks defeated Troy in three sets and end some notable Troy stat streaks.
The first set remained tight until the Mavericks went on a 10-point streak, giving them a 19-13 advantage. The Mavericks never looked back in the opening set and ended up with a 25-17 victory.
That momentum carried into the second set where UTA quickly took the first three points. Troy was never able to close in after the three-point advantage and dropped the second set 25-19. In the final set of the match, service and attack errors would give UTA a lead of 13 points. Troy fell in the final set 25-16.
Cheyenne Hayes led the team with eight kills, however, this game put an end to her double-digit kill streak. On the other hand, freshman Lacey Jeffcoat continued a hot streak of hers. Jeffcoat has had double-digit digs in 13 straight matches after recording 13 on Friday night.
The following night, Troy took on the top-seeded team in the conference, Texas State. Texas State came into the match undefeated in conference play.
Troy opened up the match with an impressive 12-5 lead, but soon saw the lead slip away as Texas State went on an 11-point run. The momentum shift and another four-point run allowed the Bobcats to win the opening set 25-17.
The second set proved to be much more competitive, with neither team able to string along more than a three-point lead at a time. After 15 ties and six lead changes, the Bobcats took the set 25-22.
In the final set, Texas State opened with a four-point advantage that Troy could not close. The Bobcats finished the three-set match with a 19-25 victory in the third set.
“I’m proud of the way we played tonight. (Texas State) is really good. They’re the No. 28 team in the country. We didn’t play well last night, and they knew that, so they were trying to feel us out early. But our girls responded with great effort out of the gate,” said Head Coach Josh Lauer. “It turned into a battle and a dogfight, and I think we had their backs against the walls, but they responded like a good team does.”
Despite the loss, senior Logan Page had a nine-kill outing and a .375 attacking percentage, while also posting four total blocks.
Troy will travel to the Carolinas to take on Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina this weekend.
