Volleyball’s dry spell continues

The Troy volleyball team is on a 14-game losing streak, in which it has struggled to close out sets with wins.

That being said, the Trojans (6-18, 0-7 Sun Belt) showed improvement in defeat, losing at home 2-3 to Georgia Southern and 1-3 to Georgia State.

Troy’s match against Georgia Southern on Friday, Oct. 14, showed initial promise for the home team against the Eagles (11-10, 4-2 Sun Belt). The home team battled its way to back-to-back 25-23 wins in the first two sets, and took commanding control of the match against GSU and its stingy defense.

Freshman middle hitter Logan Page and senior right side Sara Landis helped Troy to those wins, totaling 13 and 12 kills in the match, respectively.

Despite the strong start, the Eagles turned the tables in the next two sets with a pair of 25-23 wins of their own. Double-digit kills from four Eagles helped Georgia Southern win the equalizing third and fourth sets, while the defense forced Troy into 32 errors on the night.

With the game on the line, the Trojans hung with the Eagles in the fifth and final set, and despite tying the game four times, were unable to get the edge in an 11-15 loss.

Two days later, Troy looked to bounce back against Georgia State in Trojan Arena, but once again it fell short in a competitive, four-set match.

The Panthers (8-11, 4-4 Sun Belt) got on the board first with a 25-20 win in the first set, thanks in large part to 10 attack errors from Troy. A narrow, 25-22 victory in the second set evened things out for the Trojans, as five kills from Page and four from freshman right side Sydney Pineda helped the home side avoid the sweep.

The Panthers shut down the rally quickly, though, putting together consecutive wins in the last two sets of the match. Troy continued to fight and compete, but it couldn’t avoid 17-25 and 23-25 losses in the third and fourth sets.

Page once again led the Trojans, recording 12 kills and four blocks. Junior setter Reina Terry also contributed with 18 assists and two aces.

Senior outside hitter Kristina Stinson was the clear leader for Georgia State, leading the Panthers to the 4-1 victory with her 22-kill, eight-dig performance.

The Trojans continue to seek their first conference win on Friday, Oct. 21, when they take on Little Rock in Arkansas. Start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.