Hanna Cooper
Staff Writer
After a trip to Mobile and a loss to South Alabama, the Troy volleyball team returned home for senior night. Troy took on Appalachian State on Friday night, falling 3-1 to the Mountaineers.
In the opening set, Troy fell to the Mountaineers 25-20. Troy jumped out to a 10-5 lead, but the Mountaineers were able to claw back their way to a 20-17 lead after several attack errors made by the Trojans. Emma Longley and Kara Spicer of Appalachian State tallied the final points in the opening set.
Troy battled back to take the second set 25-20. The set stayed close until the Trojans went on a four-point streak to give themselves an advantage midway through the set. After Troy went up on Appalachian State 13-12, the Trojans never looked back. Troy led the remainder of the set and came away with the second set victory.
The remaining two sets were hard-fought losses for the Trojans. Appalachian State was able to clinch the match and go into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the division champions.
Amara Anderson recorded 43 assists to break Troy’s freshman record of 1,129 assists set by Megan Henderson in 2007. Anderson now has 1,141 assists on the year. Cheyenne Hayes is leading the Trojans with 16 kills. Hayes has recorded at least 16 kills in four straight matches.
On her senior night, Logan Page threw down eight kills and hit for .231. She also tallied three total blocks: two assists and one solo.
On Saturday, Troy took on the reigning Sun Belt Conference champion, Coastal Carolina. Troy downed the Chanticleers in an exciting five-set match.
Troy took a tight first set 25-22, but fell in the second set, losing 25-15. After splitting the opening sets, Troy battled to take another tough set 25-21. In the fourth, Troy again fell to the Chanticleers 25-17, setting the stage for the fifth set.
With the game tied at three, Hayes and Avery Cason knocked down two kills and a Chanticleer ball-handling error gave the Trojans a three-point lead.
The Chanticleers battled back to tie the game at 10, but the relentless Trojans went on a five-point run to solidify the match. Three errors by Coastal Carolina and two Hayes kills gave Troy the final five points, ending the match with a fifth set victory: 15-10.
Before the tournament, Cheyenne Hayes has been named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. Hayes ranks second in the conference with 425 kills and 3.76 kills per set average.
Troy will travel to Atlanta for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Nov. 15. Troy enters as the eighth seed and will take on UT Arlington, which enters as the fifth seed.
