Trojans Rally, Fall in Lengthy Fifth Set

Sunday, October 20

Arlington, Texas

12:00 p.m.

Troy University

9-14, 4-5

UT Arlington

13-9, 6-3

Troy

UT Arlington

Photo by: Joshua Thurston

10/20/2013 3:04:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Troy volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit, but fell in a marathon, five-set match at UT Arlington, 3-2 (25-16, 25-19, 22-25, 21-25, 19-17), on Sunday.

Blair Winston recorded 28 kills, the most by a Trojan since moving to the Sun Belt in 2005, but it wasn't enough for Troy (9-14, 4-5) as the Trojans fell two games behind UT Arlington (13-9, 6-3) in the Sun Belt standings.

The Mavericks dominated the first two sets, hitting .552 and .462 as a team, respectively. However, Troy rebounded with wins in sets three and four to force a deciding a fifth set.

The Trojans jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the deciding frame, and later held a 13-9 lead before UTA scored four straight to tie the set at 13-13. Troy had two match points at 14-13 and 15-14, but two straight UT Arlington kills turned the tide before the Mavericks eventually won 19-17.

Kayla Pickart was also in double figures for Troy with 17 kills, and tied for the team high with a .250 attack percentage as the Trojans hit .166 as a team. The Mavericks hit an even .300 as a team, thanks in large part to just two errors in the first two sets.

Ali Dowdall posted a career-high 22 digs to lead four Trojans in double-figures. Kelley Curran and Courtney Cohen each had 11 digs while Alexandra Alexander posted her fourth straight double-double with 56 assists and 12 digs.

Ashley Bennett led UT Arlington with 12 kills while Caitlyn Cooney led the way for UTA with 17 digs. The win moves new Sun Belt member UT Arlington into a tie for third place in the league standings as the first half of Sun Belt play comes to a close.

Troy opens the second half of conference play with a match at second-place UALR on Friday before returning home to host Texas State next Sunday.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.