Kolunija's 20 Kills Pace Trojans

Tuesday, September 13

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

Alabama A&M University

9/13/2011 9:24:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Matt Mays

Box Score
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TROY, Ala. – For the fourth time in five matches, the Trojans needed five sets, and for the third time in those four, they claimed the deciding set as Troy topped Alabama A&M, 3-2, at Sartain Hall on Tuesday night.

The Trojans (8-4) have now played five, five-set matches on the year, equaling their total from a season ago. Troy is 3-2 in the five matches in 2011 while they posted a 1-4 mark in 2010.

"Always good to come home and get a win." head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "We made plays when we had too, but Alabama A&M played really well and led us to make errors that we typically don't make."

"Special thanks to everyone that came out," Kirkpatrick said. "Hopefully everyone will come out and support us next week against Mercer as well."

The Trojans return to the floor on Sunday when they travel to take on Jacksonville on Sunday. The Trojans and Dolphins are set to begin at 4:00 p.m.

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

TROY 3, ALABAMA A&M 2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-16, 23-24, 15-9)

Natasha Kolunija recorded a career-high 20 kills to pace a Trojans offense that hit .272 on the day. Breanna Cullity (14) and Devin Von Pingel (11) were also in double-digits.

Alexandra Alexander returned to the floor for the Trojans and recorded 54 assists.

Courtney Cohen ran her streak of matches with at least 15 digs to 11 as she recorded a team-high 20. Alexander and Lizzie Clough each recorded 10 digs.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair as the Trojans and Bulldogs (3-11) found themselves tied on 11 different occasions. The latest tie came at 16-16, but that is when the Trojans went on a 6-1 run to take a 22-17 lead and gain control of the set. Troy went on to take the first frame, 25-22.

The Trojans suffered their worst offensive set in the second frame as a .158 attack percentage, including eight attack errors, gave Alabama A&M the set, 25-21.

Troy came out of the locker room swinging as they rolled through the Bulldogs, 25-16 in the third set. Von Pingel was the key in the third frame as she recorded five of her kills to pace the Trojans.

The Bulldogs didn't back down as they withstood Troy's hottest hitting set in the fourth. The Trojans hit at a .343 clip in the fourth frame, but Alabama A&M won a back-and-forth battle, 25-23. The two sides found themselves tied on 13 different occasions.

The Trojans hit a blazing .421 in the fifth set as they recorded 10 kills and dropped the Bulldogs, 15-9.