Trojans Drop Two on Opening Day

Friday, August 26

Birmingham, Ala.

11:00 a.m.

Troy University

0-1

Samford University

1-0

Team	1	2	3	Final F
TROY	13	13	21	0
Auburn University	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Cass Davis

8/26/2011 5:37:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

Troy vs. Samford Box Score
Troy vs. UNC-Asheville Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Troy University volleyball team suffered two losses on the opening day of the 2011 season as they fell to Samford and UNC Asheville at the Samford/UAB Invitational on Samford's campus at the Pete Hanna Center.

The Trojans (0-2) dropped their first set to a hot-hitting Samford (1-0) squad that hit over .400 in two of the three sets they won.

The afternoon match proved a lot more dramatic as the Trojans dropped a five-set match to UNC Asheville (1-0). Troy out-hit the Bulldogs but lost three sets that saw a combined 25 ties.

On the day, Devin Von Pingel led the Trojans with 23 kills and just three errors for a .487 attack percentage. True freshman Kayla Pickart posted a combined 28 kills on the day in her first collegiate action.

First-year setter Alexandra Alexander settled into her new role nicely, posting 88 assists on the day to go along with 24 digs.

Troy 0, Samford 3 (23-25, 13-25, 19-25)

After a very competitive first set, Troy saw a couple of runs by Samford in sets two and three hand the visiting Trojans their first loss of the young season.

The Trojans were led in the match by Von Pingel who posted seven kills with just two errors for a .385 attack percentage. Pickart led the Trojans with eight kills in the match while Natasha Kolunija was the only other Trojan with five kills. Troy hit .096 in the match while Samford swung at a .347 clip.

Alexander, in her first match as the Trojans' setter posted 24 assists. Alexander also paced the Trojans with nine digs.

“We had players that stepped up, but we also had players that stepped back,” head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. “I am very disappointed in some of our players efforts.”

The Trojans posted a .280 attack percentage in set one, their best of all three sets, but the Bulldogs hit a blistering .417 and out-killed Troy 20-8 in the first frame. The set was a back-and-forth affair as the biggest lead came early when Samford was up 8-4. Things were all tied up at 23-23 when the Bulldogs used two kills by Katie Murphy to take the opening set, 25-23.

Samford continue to hit well as they posted a .483 attack percentage in the second set to take the frame, 25-13, and claim a 2-0 lead. The early portions of the set were tight, but with Troy trailing 13-10, Samford went on a six-point run and pulled ahead 19-10.

The third set was much of the same as the Trojans and Bulldogs battled back-and-forth for most of the frame. However, with the Trojans trailing by two at 20-18, the Bulldogs scored five of the last six points and took the set, 25-19, and the match 3-0. The Trojans beat themselves in the third set as Samford slowed to a .152 attack percentage, but hit as many errors as kills (eight) and hit .000 in the final set.

Troy 2, UNC Asheville 3 (24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 16-18)

Despite out-hitting UNC Asheville, the Trojans fell in a five-set thriller to close out the day.

Von Pingel paced the Trojans once again as she posted 15 kills and just one error, giving her a .536 attack percentage. Pickart again led the Trojans in kills as she posted 20 in the match. Fellow newcomer, Breanna Cullity, added 17 kills for Troy.

Troy as a team hit .250 in the match, topping UNC Asheville's .247 attack percentage.

Alexander upped her assist total to 64 in the five-set thriller while also posting 15 digs. Courtney Cohen led the Trojans in the digs category as she posted 22 in the match.

The Bulldogs would take a back-and-forth first set, 26-24, despite the Trojans fighting off set point at 23-24. The two sides were 11 times in the first set and swapped the lead on seven different occasions.

The Trojans would rebound though, taking the second set, 25-23, in come from behind fashion, thanks in large part to a .300 team attack percentage. Troy looked destine to be in an 0-2 hole as they trailed 23-17, however the Trojans went on an eight-point run to storm to the set win. Von Pingel provided four service aces in the run to spark the Trojans.

Troy took advantage of the momentum as they held UNC Asheville to a match-worst .105 attack percentage in the third set, leading to a 25-19 Trojan victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.

However, the Trojans would suffer a small let down in the fourth set as they were two points away from closing out the match at 23-21 when the Bulldogs fought back into things and took the fourth set, 27-25.

“We had opportunities to win the match,” Kirkpatrick said. “We served for match point two or three times but couldn't get it done.”

In the deciding fifth set, the Trojans fell victim to a hot-hitting team once again as UNC Asheville posted a .406 attack percentage and took the clincher, 18-16. The final set was another close affair as the two teams were tied on five occasions.