Trojans Drop First Home Match

Saturday, October 22

Troy, Ala.

12:00 p.m.

Troy University

University of North Texas

Photo by: Edward Fieder

10/22/2011 2:23:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

TROY, Ala. – For the first time in 2011, the Troy volleyball team fell at home as they dropped a four-set contest to North Texas as Sartain Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The match was a close one as each set was decided by two points, except the third which North Texas won, 25-22. The loss drops the Trojans (14-9, 4-5) to 6-1 at home.

"It was a great match to be apart of," head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "Both teams played really well, but ultimately, North Texas made one more play in three sets than we did.

"Their effort was outstanding, and at times our's lacked," Kirkpatrick said. "We need to get a lot better before next Friday."

The Trojans return to the court next weekend for their final two road matches of the season. Troy will travel south to take on FIU and Florida Atlantic on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Trojans will then return to Sartain Hall for their final five matches of the regular season.

Check back with TroyTrojans.com for results and recaps. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter @TroyAthletics of become fans on Facebook.

NORTH TEXAS 3, TROY 1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 28-26)

The Trojan outhit the Mean Green (14-13, 5-6) in a match that was full of great defense, .202 to .174. Troy also outhit the Mean Green in every set as Breanna Cullity led the way 19 kills for the Trojans and just three errors. Devin Von Pingel (14) and Natahsa Kolunija (11) each posted double-digit kills as well.

The match featured nine players in double-digits in digs, including four on the Trojans' side of the net. Lizzie Clough Troy with 23 digs while Alexandra Alexander posted 20 to go along with 45 assists, marking her 11th double-double of the season. Courtney Cohen (16) and Kolunija (10) were also in double-figures as Kolunija recorded her third double-double of the season.

The Trojans also posted a season-high 13.5 total blocks with four from Cullity, Kolunija and Alexander.

The first set was tight throughout as the two sides were tied on 10 different occasions changed the lead seven times. The Trojans actually outhit the Mean Green in the set, .233 to .217, but a late run by North Texas was enough to give them a 26-24, first-set victory.

The Trojans held a 24-22 advantage, but three straight points by North Texas pulled the Mean Green ahead, 25-24 and forced Kirkpatrick to call his final timeout. The Mean Green's Kendall Whitson served out of the timeout and sent her serve off of the top of the net. The ball rolled over and fell between three Trojans as North Texas closed out the set.

The second set was highly contested as well as the two sides were tied on eight different occasions. The Trojans again outhit the Mean Green, this time .149 to .096. Troy found themselves down 21-17 late in the frame, but rallied to score four straight and tie things up at 21-21.

The scored remained tied at 22-22, but the Trojans took the important two-point lead at 24-22 thanks to a Clough service ace and moved on to take the set 25-23.

The Trojans again outhit the Mean Green in the third set, .256 to .244, but North Texas used three straight as the score was tied at 22-22 to take the set, 25-22. One again in the fourth set, the Trojans outhit the Mean Green, this time .185 to .156, but another set that went past 25 was won by the Mean Green, 28-26.