Over the weekend, the Troy volleyball team moved to 9-16 on the season after losing 3-0 to Arkansas State on Friday and beating UALR 3-1 on Saturday at home.
Arkansas State and Little Rock traveled to Troy for both of their first matchups of the season against the Trojans. Against the Red Wolves, the Trojans struggled defensively but bounced back to edge out Little Rock the following day.
Coming into Troy, Arkansas State looked to continue its dominant stretch on the road against Troy. The Red Wolves had won five straight going into the match and were third in the West division of the Sun Belt.
In the first set, with the score tied at 25, both teams went back and forth until Arkansas State pulled away with the win 30-28.
In the second set, Troy committed only five errors, but could not keep up in the scoring department. The Red Wolves took the lead when the score was tied at seven and did not give it back, winning 25-22.
Troy struggled in the third set after Arkansas State got off to a 4-1 lead. Troy was held to only 14 total points as the team hit a negative 0.43 hitting percentage, its worst total of the season.
Troy managed only six kills in the third set, the lowest of the weekend. The Red Wolves offense, however, recorded a 0.302 hitting percentage in their victory.
Sophomores Jenni Young and Belle Waldrop led the way for the Trojans with 10 and seven kills, respectively. Waldrop leads the team in kills with 211 so far this season.
Following the loss, fans got to witness two different Trojans play in Trojan Arena. Despite losing the match by two sets, Little Rock scored over 20 points in each set.
The first set went back and forth as UALR kept things close until midway through the set. Tied at 12, Little Rock committed three straight errors. Troy took advantage and did not fall behind for the rest of the set, winning 20-25.
Despite a 3-0 run in the second set, Troy grinded out another win, 25-22.
In the third, Troy got off to a quick start with a 5-0 run. Troy didn’t hold on to the lead for very long, though. With the score tied at 15, Troy created separation off a Waldrop kill and a Little Rock error.
Troy was at match point at 24-23, but could not put the set away as Little Rock scored four of the next five points to win 27-25.
Just like the previous sets, Troy jumped out to an early lead and Little Rock came back to tie it up midway. With the score tied at 19, Troy took control by scoring five straight points to distance itself from Little Rock and to secure the win.
Sophomore Logan Page continued to look solid with a .440 hitting percentage, 13 kills and seven blocks. Fellow Sophomore Savannah Moore chipped in 13 kills of her own with a team-high .750 hitting percentage. Four Troy Trojans had over 10 kills in the match, and Troy committed only 19 errors.
The Trojans will travel to Conway, South Carolina, this Friday to take on Coastal Carolina in the first matchup between the two teams this season. Match time is set for 5:30 p.m.
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