Troy University Athletics
Troy Falls To WKU At Trojan Arena
11/1/2008 5:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. - The Troy Trojans fell to Western Kentucky University 3-0 (21-25, 22-25,16-25) in Sun Belt Conference action at Trojan Arena Saturday afternoon.
Meghan Gilroy led the Trojans attack with 12 total kills, hitting .400 on 25 total attack attempts. Aubre Smith added seven kills, while sophomore Megan Henderson posted a double-double with 25 assists and 14 digs.
Troy found themselves down early in the opening set to WKU, trailing by as many as four points at 10-6. After a service error by the Lady Toppers trimmed the deficit to 10-7, WKU scored the next two points to push the advantage to five at 12-7. Another service error by the Lady Toppers, followed by a kill from Gilroy trimmed the deficit to 12-9. After an attack error by Western Kentucky, Gilroy recorded a solo bloc to trim the deficit to just one point at 12-11. A kill from Gilroy tied the set, before freshman Emily Allen gave Troy their first lead of the opening set at 13-12.
After WKU tied the set at 13-all, Troy went on a 3-0 run to take their largest lead at 16-13. They would maintain that lead at 18-15, until WKU went on a 6-0 run to open a 21-18 lead en route to the first set victory.
In the second set, two teams traded the first 12 points of the set. Troy took the one-point lead on an attack error by Western Kentucky, before a block from freshman Brittany McClelland pushed the lead to 8-6. The lead grew to as many as five in the early stages of the second set due to a pair of kills from Gilroy and a kill from Smith. With the lead at 14-9, WKU trimmed the deficit to four until Troy used two errors by WKU to maintain their five-point advantage at 16-11.
Troy kept up the pressure in the second set with kills from McClelland and Smith, until WKU went on a 6-2 run to tie the second set at 22-all. The Lady Toppers scored the final three points of the set to claim a 25-22 victory, and take a 2-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.
The Trojans fought back in the third set, but were unable to overcome WKU's offensive tandem of Megan Argabright and Aquila Orr. The duo combined for 23 total kills, with Argabright hitting .455 and Orr .357 on the afternoon.
The Trojans return to action against the University of South Alabama at Trojan Arena Friday night. The match will start at 7 pm, with a pre-match ceremony honoring the five seniors of the Troy volleyball program playing their final home match.
"Friday is as must of a win as any this year," Troy coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "We just need people to step up and make play."
Admission is free to all home volleyball matches at Trojan Arena.
POST MATCH NOTES
Sun Belt standings update: With the Trojans loss to WKU on Saturday, Troy finds themselves 4-10 in the Sun Belt Conference. They are currently tied with South Alabama for ninth in the overall standings and are 1/2 game of Florida Atlantic (4-9) in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Trojans and South Alabama play Friday night at Trojan Arena, with the winner having a chance for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Remaining Schedule: Here are the remaining schedules for the teams that could come into play for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Sun Belt Conference; Troy (11/7 South Alabama, 11/14 at Middle Tennessee, 11/15 at WKU), South Alabama (11/7 at Troy, 11/14 at WKU, 11/15 at Middle Tennessee), Florida Atlantic (11/1 New Orleans, 11/2 ULM, 11/7 WKU, 11/8 Middle Tennessee, 11/15 at FIU).
Records Against Remaining Teams on Schedules: Troy is 0-3 against teams that remain on their schedule, including a 3-1 loss at South Alabama October 6; meanwhile, South Alabama is 1-2 against teams remaining on their schedule and FAU 0-3 and playing New Orleans and ULM for the first time this season.
Gilroy reaches milestone: Junior Meghan Gilroy became the second Trojan to reach 1,000 career kills for her career and the eighth Trojan ever since Troy joined the NCAA Division I-A ranks in 1993. The junior recorded the feat in the second set of the Trojans loss to Western Kentucky, joining senior Aubre Smith as Troy players to do so this season.
Smith climbing the charts: Senior Aubre Smith continues to climb the chart in several categories at Troy. She is currently is sixth in total kills, ninth in kills per set, second in block solos and is the career leader in total blocks.
