Trojans Clinch Tourney Spot with Road Win

Friday, November 15

Atlanta, Ga.

6:00 p.m.

Troy University

12-19, 7-10

Georgia State

9-22, 4-13

Troy

Georgia State

Photo by: Jonah Enfinger

11/15/2013 8:52:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

ATLANTA – The Troy volleyball team clinched a spot in next week's Sun Belt Championships with a four-set win at Georgia State on Friday night, 3-1 (34-32, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19).

The win guarantees Troy at least the eighth seed in next week's tournament at Trojan Arena. Troy can move as high as fifth based on the results of a Sunday match at WKU and other matches around the league this weekend. The win is also the third straight for the Trojans.

"I'm really proud of the way our team fought tonight," Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "It was a really tough match and when we decided we really wanted it, it was really fun to watch."

Troy (12-19, 7-10) had four players post double-figure kills, led by Marija Zelenovic's 21 kills, her third 20-kill match in Troy's last five matches. Kiah Cheatham led the Trojans with a .429 attack percentage thanks to 10 kills and one attack error on 21 attempts.

Kayla Pickart (15) and Blair Winston (11) also posted double-figure kills as the Trojans hit .196 as a team.

Courtney Cohen recorded 31 digs and became the sixth player in Sun Belt history with 2,000 career digs. The senior libero has now recorded at least 30 digs in two straight matches and in three of the last five matches.

Troy also had four players with double-figure digs as Alexandra Alexander (14), Kelley Curran (11) and Zelenovic (10) joined Cohen. Zelenovic and Alexander, who posted 57 assists, each recorded a double-double.

Troy won its longest set of the year in the first, fighting off five set points before winning 34-32. Georgia State (9-22, 4-13) rebounded and hit .407 in the second set on its way to a 25-19 win.

With the match, and which team will qualify for the Sun Belt Championships, up in the air, the Trojans held the Panthers to .163 and .128 attack percentages, respectively, in the final two sets, both Troy wins.

Georgia State was led by Dede Bohannon's 19 kills and Eliza Zachary's 17. Emily Averbeck posted 26 digs while Andrea Ezell recorded a match-high seven total blocks.

Troy closes the regular season on Sunday at WKU. The match against the Lady Toppers, who have already clinched the No. 1 seed at next week's tournament, begins at 12 p.m.

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.