Daniel Hunt
Staff Writer
Michael Shipma
Sports Editor
The Trojan volleyball team concluded its trip to Georgia last week with a 3-1 loss to Georgia Southern and a 3-2 win at Georgia State before coming back to Troy to sweep Alabama State.
After a two-loss stretch against South Alabama two weeks ago, Troy snapped a three-game losing streak as it looked to get back on track against a pair of conference foes from Georgia. It then won two matches in a row for the first time since the first week of September.
Georgia Southern, fresh off a win against South Carolina State, was outplayed for most of the match by the Trojans, but managed to still come out on top. Despite the close score, Troy led the Eagles in most on-paper statistics.
The entire first set was back and forth as neither team was able to dominate. Tied at 15 each, a Trojan error put Georgia Southern on top. A 3-0 run looked to be the deal breaker, but Troy was able to bounce back to make the score 21-19 in favor of the Eagles.
The Trojans then went on a 7-2 run to win the set 25-23. Troy had a 0.294 hitting percentage in the set, which was the best percentage Troy had all night.
Troy came back out in the second set and hit 0.167 percent while committing seven errors. Troy could not keep up with Georgia Southern as the Eagles took the set 25-21.
Troy struggled in the third set, losing 25-21. The Trojans managed to hit only 0.051 percent in the third, continuing a trend of the Trojans hitting progressively worse in each set. It finally bottomed out in the fourth, as Troy recorded a 0.037 hitting percentage to end its night.
That number tied a season low for Troy as it lost the set 25-14 and the match 3-1.
Sophomore Logan Page kept up her level of play with six blocks and eight kills, but it remained a frustrating night as Troy moved to 0-2 against the Eagles on the season. Errors haunted the Trojans with 29 in the match, along with a total hitting percentage of 0.141.
The following day, the Trojans traveled to Atlanta for a rematch against Georgia State.
The Panthers started the match hot, but Troy was able to get the final edge, winning the set 25-19. An 11-2 run sparked by Page late in the first set killed any chances the Panthers had at coming back in the first frame.
Georgia State answered, winning the second set 25-22. The Panthers were able to capitalize on six errors committed by the Trojans, while also recording a game-high 0.308 hitting percentage.
Another close set followed, but Troy squeaked by 25-19. Troy kept the Panthers guessing, allowing Georgia State to hit only 0.088 percent in the set. In one of their cleanest sets of the season, the Trojans hit 0.281 percent, with only four errors and 13 kills.
Following a victory in the fourth set for the Panthers, both teams became deadlocked in the fifth and final set. A kill by Savannah Moore with the score tied at 15 gave the Trojans the opportunity for a match point.
The Trojans capitalized on a Panthers error and earned their seventh win of the season 3-2.
Four Troy players had over 10 kills on the day, with each of them being a sophomore or freshman. Sophomore Kiara Barret had 31 assists in the match, while Page posted seven blocks and 11 kills.
Troy then took that momentum back home to Trojan Arena to face in-state foe Alabama State.
The Hornets have had a successful midseason run, winning all nine of their matches in the SWAC so far. Coming into Tuesday night’s matchup, Alabama State had won 11 of its last 12 games, with its only loss coming against Alabama last Thursday.
Troy took advantage of a 0.119 hitting percentage by the Hornets, and the offense tallied 42 kills in a 3-0 sweep. The Trojans controlled the match from start to finish, claiming the first set by 10 points before winning the second and third sets by six and four points, respectively.
Jenni Young recorded a match-high eight kills, followed by three Trojans who posted seven kills each.
With the win, Troy gained some much-needed momentum ahead of home matches against Arkansas State and UALR.
Troy’s next match will be against the Red Wolves in Trojan Arena on Friday night. That match is scheduled for 6:30, with ESPN3 providing coverage.
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