Troy dominated during the Troy Invitational, dropping only a single set while picking up two excellent non-conference victories against The Citadel and Kennesaw State.
Troy began the Troy Invitational with a swift 3-0 victory in 25-14, 25-19, 25-17 fashion on Thursday against The Citadel
Freshman Kalina Calvillo opened the match hot with five kills in the first set, leading the Trojans. She finished the match with a career-high nine kills in the .389 hitting masterclass by the Trojans.
Outside hitter Amiah Butler put together another phenomenal performance, tallying 16 kills on a .429 hitting percentage.
Tori Hester collected 13 kills while hitting .400 to register yet another double-digit kill performance.
The Trojans stifled the Bulldogs’ offense, holding them to a measly .160 hitting percentage in the one-sided affair.
On Saturday, Troy squared off against a gritty and defensively minded Kennesaw State squad. The Owls registered 12 blocks in the match and made hitting difficult for the Trojans, especially early in the match.
Troy fired off four service aces to help secure the opening set 25-18 despite only hitting .088 with seven errors.
The Owls surged back, dominating at the net with an outstanding .407 hitting percentage and three blocks as they won the second set 25-18.
The third set was tightly contested with both teams knotted up at 15-15 until Troy’s offense erupted on a 10-3 run to win the set 25-18.
The Trojans finished off the Owls in the fourth set 25-17 with four service aces and a .400 hitting percentage.
Troy’s defense held its own against Kennesaw State in the last two sets, holding the Owls hitters to a .120 hitting percentage in the third and a .236 in the fourth. Troy also tacked on 11 blocks during the match.
Setter Janelle Stuempfig made an impact from all over the court with 21 assists, five blocks and three service aces.
Hester extended her double-digit kill streak to eight consecutive games with six kills coming in the clinching fourth set.
Butler recorded her second 16 kill performance of the tournament on an efficient .536 hitting percentage.
Butler credits the team’s excellent defense and setting for the recent spike in offensive efficiency during the team’s three-game win streak.
“We have had great defensive effort and passing recently which is allowing our setters to get us better balls to take good swings at,” said Butler.
“It’s been a great week for Amiah. She was stable and came out hot early and allowed Tori some space to get into the match and then they were both cooking,” head coach Josh Lauer said. “When they are both cooking and we are serving great, we can be really dangerous.”
Troy heads out on the road for two tough Power Five conference opponents in Wisconsin and Texas A&M before they begin Sun Belt Conference play.
Troy takes on an elite squad in No. 7 Wisconsin on Sept. 20 before their bout with Texas A&M on Sept. 22.
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