Hanna Cooper The Troy Volleyball team traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to compete in the Blue Raider Dash hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. The team played three matches in the tournament, ending with two wins and a loss, taking home second place. The ladies kick-started the tournament with an exciting five-set match versus Stetson. The Trojans took the second, fourth and fifth sets to secure the victory. Cheyenne Hayes led the team with a career-high of 21 kills to secure the opening day victory. During Saturday afternoon’s action, the Trojans squared off against Middle Tennessee State, looking to take another victory in the tournament. A 25-21 first-set victory set the stage for a competitive start to the second set. With the game tied 7-7, the Trojans outscored the Blue Raiders 18-5 to clinch the second set. The third and fourth sets would see much of the same results as the Trojans would defeat the Blue Raiders three sets to one. Belle Waldrop, Cheyenne Hayes, Savannah Moore and Jenni Young all racked up double-digit kill performances to lead the Trojans to a second tournament victory. In the final match of the tournament, the Trojans would come up short against Austin Peay. In the first set of the match, Troy would fall 19-25 to the Governors. Determined to come back from the opening-set loss, Troy battled hard and took the second set 26-24. The team would lose the third and fourth sets to give Troy its first and only loss of the tournament. Despite the loss, Cheyenne Hayes, Belle Waldrop and Jenni Young were able to record another double-digit kill match. “(I’m) really proud of how our team fought together all weekend,” said Head Coach Josh Lauer after the tournament. “We showed a lot of poise in our win against MTSU and battled hard against a very experienced Austin Peay team.” Amara Anderson would end the tournament with 156 assists, earning the freshman setter all-tournament honors. Anderson also totaled 68 assists on Friday, tying the record for the most assists in a single game since the Trojans joined the Sun Belt Conference. Cheyenne Hayes also secured herself a spot on the tournament team after recording 51 kills over the course of the weekend. “We got great performances this weekend from Cheyenne Hayes and Amara Anderson,” Lauer said. “They made their teammates better all weekend.” The Troy volleyball team will travel to Clemson, South Carolina, to partake in the Big Orange Bash this weekend.
Staff Writer
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