Troy University Athletics
Trojans Blank UTC
9/12/2008 5:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CONWAY, SC - Meghan Gilroy started and ended the match with kills, leading the Troy Trojans to a 3-0 victory over the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at the Courtyard by Marriott Chanticleer Invitational Friday afternoon.
Gilroy scored the first points of the match in the opening set off an assist by Megan Henderson, then ended the match with two of her 14 kills to lead Troy to a 25-23, 25-19, 26-24 victory over the Mocs in the opening match of the tournament.
The Trojans scored the opening point of the first set, before falling behind 12-4 to UTC (2-5). After falling behind by as many as eight points in the opening set, Troy (5-4) battled back to eventually tie the set at 21-21 on a kill from senior Aubre Smith. After an attack error by UTC gave the Trojans their first lead since the opening point of the set, the Mocs tied it at 22-all on a Jessica Scott kill. From that point the Trojans took over, getting a pair of kills from Smith before freshman Brittany McClelland put the opening set away on a kill from Smith.
Troy had no problems in the second set after trailing at the outset. After falling behind 2-1, the Trojans went on a 15-8 run to take their biggest lead of the set at 16-9 on a kill by Kerry Heinz. The lead was pushed even higher to 20-12 on a block from Smith and Henderson, before UTC made a run to pull within 22-19. After the set was closed to as little as three, Troy scored the remaining three points of the set to claim a 2-0 lead. Heinz paced the final 3-0 run with a pair of kills, while the winning point came courtesy of an attack error by UTC's Aurore Kullak.
The two teams traded points in the third and final set until the final two points of the match. The biggest lead either team could get in the final set two points, when the Trojans took a 19-17 lead on a kill from Meghan Washlow. The set was tied at 21-21, until UTC took their two-point lead at 23-21 late in the set. After a service error and block from McClelland and Gilroy, the set was tied at 23-all. Gilroy took a pass from McClelland to record her 12th kill of the afternoon for a 24-23 Troy lead. UTC was able to tie the score at 24-all, avoiding match point on a kill from Scott. Troy recorded a side-out off a Lara Newberry serve, when Gilroy took a pass from McClelland and recorded another kill for a 25-24 Trojan lead. The Trojans put the match away, on match point when Gilroy took a pass from Henderson for the final kill of the afternoon.
Henderson finished the afternoon with 26 assist and seven digs, while Emily Strader added 13 digs and Washlow 10 in the victory.
Troy returns to action Saturday afternoon with a pair of matches, taking on the host team Coastal Carolina at 12 noon. They follow that match with another, against former Atlantic Sun rival Georgia State University at 4 pm.
