Wally Pendergrass
Staff Writer
The Troy volleyball team suffered two defeats this week against University of Texas at Arlington and Appalachian State, losing both games in five sets, 3-2.
The Trojans were in a back-and-forth battle on Friday, Sept. 19, in Arlington, Texas. The Trojans won the first set 25-17, but lost the second 25-16 heading into halftime tied. The Trojans won the third set 25-23, but UT Arlington forced a fifth set after 25-12.
The fifth set was tightly contested, with six tied scores, but the Trojans came up short and lost the fifth set 17-15 and the match 3-2.
Junior outside hitter Blair Winston led the team with 21 kills, while senior outside hitter Marija Zelenovic had an attack percentage of .294 and two service aces. Junior setter Tineille Waggoner had 43 assists, and junior libero Ali Dowdall had 32 digs.
The Trojans then hosted undefeated Appalachian State at the Trojan Arena on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Troy got off to a slow start, as Appalachian State won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-23. The Trojans had an overall attack percentage of .137 and .095 for the first and second sets, respectively.
The Trojans regrouped at halftime and won the third set 25-17. With a fourth-set victory of 25-20, they forced a fifth and deciding set.
While the Trojans pushed Appalachian State to the limit, they would fall short in the fifth set, 15-12, giving the match to Appalachian State 3-2. Appalachian State is now 13-0 (3-0), while Troy falls to 9-6 (1-2).
The Trojans were led by sophomore outside hitter Symone Shaw with 16 kills, while Waggoner added 53 assists and Dowdall had 25 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Kiah Cheatham had three service aces.
The Trojans will host two more conference opponents this weekend. The Trojans will host Arkansas State on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. and Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m.
