The Trojan volleyball team dropped two out of three games in the Morehead Invitational this past weekend in Morehead, Kentucky.
Coming into the game with three straight wins, Troy (3-5, 0-0 Sun Belt) was downed 3-1 by Middle Tennessee to tip off the invitational. It was a tough loss to start things off since the Trojans did not lose a single set by more than five points. The slow start allowed Middle Tennessee to gain momentum early in the match.
The Raiders held Troy to a .141 attack percentage, one of the lowest of the season. Throughout the match, Middle Tennessee was in control, despite having already lost eight games this season.
As in past games, errors were a huge problem for the Trojans over the weekend. Troy committed 32 errors in the match compared to just 13 by Middle Tennessee.
In what has become a trend, the Trojans have had only one match with under 20 errors. Out of the 10 games they have played, four have had 30 or more errors listed. When the Trojans commit 30 or more errors, their hitting percentage hovers around .141 percent. The highest percentage they have hit with 30-plus errors was .181 percent. Troy is 1-3 in these games.
Despite the score, it was a close match. Troy’s Savannah Moore and Lauren Long had a combined 31 kills. It was almost enough as Troy forced a fourth set, but lost it 25-19. The final score was 3-1.
The next day, Troy took on the tournament host, Morehead State. It was a rough match for the Trojans, as they were held to a season-low hitting percentage of .077.
Troy kept the first two sets close despite losing both. But in the third set, Morehead ran away with things to the tune of a 25-17 score to complete the sweep.
Both schools were even in kills with 34 apiece. Morehead State defended well with 14 blocks. Troy managed only three.
Troy finished the tournament strong with a win against a winless South Carolina State team.
The first set saw South Carolina State start the match well by holding a lead until the 19th point. However, from there, Troy went on a 4-0 run to take the first set 25-21.
Troy did not look back as it dominated the Bulldogs in the third and fourth sets to win the match 3-0.
South Carolina State managed to score only 14 and 16 points in the second and third sets, respectively.
Freshman Cheyenne Hayes continued to play well for the Trojans, registering nine kills and one ace in the match. Long also made her presence known, leading the team with 11 kills in a relatively dominant performance by the Trojans.
Troy will stay on the road this weekend, competing in the Crimson and White Tournament hosted by the University of Alabama on Sept. 15-16.
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