Troy opened Sun Belt Conference play with two massive victories against its in-state rival, South Alabama.
The Trojans shut out the Jags on Thursday, winning 25-18, 25-19 and 25-19 thanks to excellent serving and another monster performance from outside hitter Tori Hester.
Hester led the Trojans with 15 kills on an outstanding .375 hitting percentage while also leading the team with 14 digs. Hester’s dominance was evident all over the court as she also recorded a pair of blocks and two service aces.
Freshman Kalina Calvillo stepped up in a big way in her first conference match as a Trojan with seven kills, second most on the team.
Troy took an early lead in the first set and never trailed as its blazing hot offense hit a match-high of .407.
The second set saw similar success for the Trojans as Hester added six of her kills during the frame, and the Trojans never trailed as they continued to hold the Jaguars’ hitters at bay.
The third set was much tighter, but Troy pulled away at the end of the set while Hester crushed an ace to finish off South Alabama.
South Alabama came to play on Friday and finally broke through the Trojan defense. In the first set, South Alabama hit an astonishing .429 to win the first set 25-23 despite an offensive eruption of eight kills from Amiah Butler in the first set.
Troy’s hitting stalled out in the second set as South Alabama roared back late with a 10-5 run to close out the second set 25-22.
Troy managed to stave off two South Alabama match points and clawed back into the match with a gritty four-point run to secure the third set 26-24. Butler and Hester helped lift the team by both registering six kills in the set.
Hester pummeled the Jaguars with 10 kills on an excellent .333 hitting percentage in the fourth set to help the Trojans force a tiebreak. It was the Trojans’ best offensive set of the match so far as the team hit .270 while holding the Jaguars to .214.
The Trojans secured the 3-2 reverse sweep 15-12 in the tiebreak. Hester delivered seven of the Trojans’ kills in the tiebreak while Calvillo recorded the other three.
Hester led the Trojans with 30 kills and added 13 digs while Butler recorded 18 kills and a team high of 14 digs.
Calvillo continued to make a big impact on the court as she set a new career high with 12 kills against the Jaguars.
Setter Janelle Stuempfig led the Trojans with 38 assists while Jordan Sinness added 20 of her own.
“I loved the way the team responded to being challenged,” said head coach Josh Lauer. “One of the difference-makers in the match was how Amiah responded when I challenged her in the third set, and she really turned her game up a notch and gave Tori the support that she needed.”
Troy will look to continue their strong start to conference play as they travel to face off against a tough Texas State squad on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. CT.
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