Trojans Drop Thrilling Five-Setter in SBC Semifinals

Friday, November 22

Troy, Ala.

6:30 p.m.

Troy University

13-21

UT Arlington

19-14

Troy

UT Arlington

Photo by: Jonah Enfinger

Trojans Drop Thrilling Five-Setter in SBC Semifinals

11/22/2013 10:01:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

TROY, Ala. – Coming off of Friday's upset win, the Troy volleyball team was locked into another exciting match in front of a great Trojan Arena crowd, but this time Troy came out on the wrong end of a five-set loss to UT Arlington, 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-15, 18-25, 20-22).

Troy (13-21) sees its season come to an end while UT Arlington (19-14) moves on to face Texas State in the title match of the Sun Belt Championships on Saturday. The loss marks the second straight in the Sun Belt Championships semifinals for the Trojans.

"I couldn't be more proud of the way we battled," Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. "We played well but UT Arlington played better. It was an outstanding match to be a part of. I thought our fan base was just amazing. We couldn't have gone through the last two days without them and I couldn't thank them enough."

The Trojans and Mavericks played their third fifth set match of the season, and for the second time UTA came out on top. The fifth set was a thrilling one in front of a loud Trojan Arena crowd as Troy fought off six match points before falling in the extended fifth set, 22-20.

The eighth-seeded Trojans were led by Marija Zelenovic's 20 kills while three others were in double figures. Kiah Cheatham posted a team-high .400 attack percentage with 10 kills and just two errors. Kayla Pickart (12) and Darby Griff (10) were also in double figures.

Alexandra Alexander, in the final match of her career, posted 58 assists and nine digs. Courtney Cohen, also in her final match, recorded a match-high 23 digs. Zelenovic had 10 digs to post her 10th double-double of the season.

After taking the first set with a .278 attack percentage, Troy hit under .140 in both the second and third as the fourth-seeded Mavericks took a 2-1 lead. In the fourth set, with the score tied 6-6, Troy scored eight of 10 to take control at 14-8. The Trojans held UTA to a .111 attack percentage in a 25-18 win that evened the match.

Down 12-10 in the fifth set, the Trojans' bounced back with two blocks to tie the set at 12-12. In a back-and-forth match, Troy faced six match points before eventually falling, 22-20.

UT Arlington was led by Charmaine Whitmore's 13 kills and 12 blocks. Taylor Gross also had 13 kills for the Mavericks who hit .256 as a team. Troy hit .172 as a team on the match.

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.