Sun Belt Player of the Year Tori Hester led Troy’s volleyball team to a victory over Appalachian State in her final home match in Trojan Arena.
Although the rest of the Trojans’ injury-riddled offense struggled to get going against the Mountaineers, Hester hit an impressive 57 kills and four aces over the split two-game series.
“She’s one of the best to ever do it and one of the best offensive players in the country,” head coach Josh Lauer said.
Hester’s stretch of phenomenal match performances this year has led to three Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week awards while leading all Sun Belt players in kills, kills per set, points and points per set. Hester is also ranked top-five nationally in the NCAA in all aforementioned categories.
Hester is also the only player in Troy volleyball history to record consecutive 30 kill outings, achieving it with a three-game stretch extending from this past Thursday to a Nov. 7 match against Southern Miss.
Troy dropped the first match against App State, which are the top team in the Sun Belt East Division, in gritty 3-2 fashion.
Middle hitter Audrey Worthington and setter Janelle Stuempfig both matched their season-high kill totals with five apiece, but it wasn’t enough to support the Trojan offense which saw only Hester surpass double-digit kills.
Junior libero Jaci Mesa also reached 1,000 career digs during the loss to the Mountaineers.
Coach Lauer and the Trojans rebounded in Friday’s match with an emphatic 3-1 win to end the season that included a 33-31 set three victory.
“It was a really great night,” said Lauer. “I’m super happy for our seniors to be able to have their last match in Trojan Arena be a victory.
“It’s always easier to have senior night end on a win. It was a great team contribution and I’m super proud of everybody who returned today and didn’t let yesterday’s tough loss get them down.”
Hester led the squad with 22 kills and freshman outside hitter Kalina Calvillo added 12 of her own in her eighth double-digit kill performance over her last nine matches.
Worthington dominated the Mountaineers at the net again with eight kills on a match-high .533 hitting percentage and four blocks.
Senior Sara Bates put up a career-high 22 digs in her final match in Trojan Arena, surpassing her previous record by six.
Senior Sophie Sparks also saw action for the first time this season, registering two kills and two blocks in her final sets as a Trojan at home.
Setter Addison Kersting saw the first match action of her young Trojan career and made an immediate impact with three service aces and 12 assists in just four sets against the Mountaineers.
Hester and the rest of the 8-8 Trojan squad now head to Foley, Alabama, for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, where they will first face off against the 7-9 Georgia State Panthers at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 21.
A win for the Trojans would mean a rematch against the Mountaineers in the quarterfinals.
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