Record Crowd Propels Trojans Past South Alabama

Thursday, October 18

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

South Alabama

Photo by: Cass Davis

Record Crowd Propels Trojans Past South Alabama

10/18/2012 9:46:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Matt Mays

Box Score | Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. – The Troy volleyball team cemented its second place standing in the Sun Belt with a win over South Alabama, 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 17-25, 26-24), in front of a record crowd of 1,647 fans at Sartain Hall on Thursday.

The Trojans (16-8, 7-2) have tied the school record for Sun Belt wins in a season with six conference matches still to play. The Trojans have also already matched last season's 16-wins with a month still to play.

“The crowd and the environment were amazing and I can't thank them enough for coming out and yelling for us,” Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick. “We knew it would be a tight match, we always battle South Alabama hard.”

Freshman Blair Winston led the Trojans with 20 kills and just four errors for a .340 attack percentage. Kayla Pickart posted 17 kills whole Breanna Cullity recorded 11.

Alexandra Alexander, who leads the league in assists per set in Sun Belt play, extended her lead with 43 assists. Alexander also posted a double-double as she recorded 17 digs.

Courtney Cohen led all players with 24 digs while Mailande Parker (13) and Kelley Curran (10) were also in double-figures. Cullity posted a match-high eight blocks.

South Alabama (12-11, 5-4) was led by Savannah Stewart's 17 kills followed by Melissa Waelter's 16.

Troy hit .394 in the opening set with a sideout percentage at 90.0, however, the set was tight with 14 ties before Troy pulled away late. With the score tied at 14-14, a three-point run was what the Trojans needed, as they took a 17-14 lead. Troy moved on to a 25-21 win in the opening set.

The second set was another close one as the two sides were tied at 18-18 when Troy used a five-point run to take a 23-18 lead. South Alabama fought back and pulled even at 23-23 before Troy won 26-24.

South Alabama came out swinging in the third set as they built a 17-7 lead on their way to a 25-17 win. The Jags hit .303 in the set and seemed to steal momentum.

Troy swung it back in their favor in the fourth set, taking a 10-7 lead. South Alabama went ahead 13-10 with a six-point run, but Troy used a seven-point run of its own to take a 17-13 lead.

The set was close at the end, tied 24-24, before two Winston kills gave Troy the match.

The Trojans return to action on Saturday morning when they host Louisiana-Lafayette at 9:30 a.m. at Sartain Hall. Fans need to note that the parking lot between Sartain Hall and George Wallace Drive will be reserved for football RV parking.

“It's a really important match,” Kirkpatrick said of Saturday's match. “ULL is a really good team and we need to be ready for what they do. We'll enjoy this win tonight and get ready for them tomorrow.”

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.