Trojans Fall to No.19 WKU, Still Sit in Second Place

Friday, November 2

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

WKU

Photo by: Cass Davis

Trojans Fall to No.19 WKU, Still Sit in Second Place

11/2/2012 8:48:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

TROY, Ala. – The Troy volleyball team fell at home to 19th-ranked WKU on Saturday, 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-22). However, the Trojans still sit at second place in the Sun Belt as they are enjoying the most successful season in the program's Sun Belt history.

The Trojans (18-10, 8-4) were led on the night by Devin Von Pingel and Kayla Pickart who each posted nine kills while Blair Winston recorded eight. Alexandra Alexander picked up 33 assists as the Trojans hit .200 on the night.

Despite the loss, the Trojans still sit half a game ahead of UALR for second place in the Sun Belt standings overall. Troy holds the tiebreaker over UALR thanks to a win in early October in Little Rock.

“It thought we played pretty well tonight,” Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. “But WKU is so efficient offensively that they picked us apart. They showed why they're the number one team in the Sun Belt and why they've only lost one set in league play all year.

“I'm proud of how we played tonight, but we'll need to play better tomorrow to win against Middle Tennessee.”

WKU (27-3, 13-0) clinched the Sun Belt regular season title with the win. The Lady Toppers were led by Paige Wessel who recorded 11 kills and one error. Ashley Potts posted a match-high 15 digs.

Troy hit just .129 in the first set, but was within striking distance early at 12-10 before WKU used six of eight to take an 18-12 lead. The Toppers went on the win the first set, 25-18.

Troy hit .250 in the second set, its best mark of the match, but WKU had 18 kills and hit .429, again using a late run to pull away. Troy was within two at 16-14, but WKU scored four straight to go ahead 20-14 and win 25-19.

The Trojans had their best chance to break through in the third set as they pulled even at 14-14 and led 17-14. Troy maintained the three-point lead late at 22-20, but the Toppers scored five straight to win the clinching set, 25-22.

The Trojans return to the floor on Saturday when they host Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. on Senior Night. Troy will honor five seniors in Lizzie Clough, Breanna Cullity, Cassie Daniels, Mailande Parker and Devin Von Pingel.

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.