Troy University Athletics
Troy University
4-5
Georgia Tech
3-5
Troy Volleyball Beats Georgia Tech, Splits to Close Tournament
9/14/2013 12:11:00 PM | Volleyball
Box Score vs Georgia Tech | Box Score vs St. John's
ATLANTA – The Troy volleyball team took control early and posted a season-best attack percentage on its way to a 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19) win at Georgia Tech on Saturday morning.
Troy (4-6) closed the Georgia Tech Courtyard Classic later on Saturday in a three-set loss to St. John's, 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-21). Troy finished the tournament 1-2 after opening with a narrow, five-set loss to Connecticut on Friday.
"It was good to see the team rebound from yesterday's match," Troy head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said after the win over Georgia Tech. "I couldn't be more proud of the way we competed. Hopefully we continue to learn what is needed to win matches."
The Trojans return to the court on Tuesday when they host Alabama State at Trojan Arena at 7 p.m. Troy closes non-conference next weekend at the Clemson Classic where the Trojans will take on Delaware, Alabama and Clemson.
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.
TROY 3, GEORGIA TECH 1
The win over Georgia Tech marked the first win over the ACC in program history for the Trojans in five tries. All-time, Troy is 0-3 against Florida State, 0-1 against N.C. State and now 1-0 against Georgia Tech.
Individually, Marija Zelenovic, who earned all-tournament honors, led the Trojans with 22 kills and just five errors for a .378 attack percentage. The 22 kills were the most by a Trojan this season. Blair Winston also posted double-figure kills with 13 to go along with a .194 attack percentage in her second full match of the season.
Darby Griff continued to play well as she hit a team-best .429 with seven kills and one error on 14 swings. Griff also posted three blocks assists as a part of 8.0 total team blocks for Troy.
Courtney Cohen led the way defensively with 16 digs, giving her at least 10 digs in every match this season. Alexandra Alexander posted another double-double, this time with 24 assists and 12 digs. Bruna Souza posted 22 assists for the Trojans.
The Trojans hit .259 in the match with 60 kills as a team, including a .448 attack percentage in the first set. In that opening set, the Trojans posted 15 kills and just two errors while using a five-point run to bring a 16-13 lead to a commanding 21-13 lead.
The second set was tied 17 times as the Yellow Jackets hit .406 and took their only set of the match by a 25-23 score.
The Trojans stepped up defensively in the third set and held Georgia Tech to a .000 attack percentage with nine errors and just nine kills as Troy took a 2-1 lead. The Trojans posted a match-high 16 kills in the fourth set in a convincing 25-19 win that sealed the match.
Georgia Tech (3-5) hit .197 as a team, led by Chanell Clark-Bibbs who had 10 kills and five errors for a .278 attack percentage. Jennifer Percy and Ivona Kolak each posted 11 kills for the Yellow Jackets.
ST. JOHN'S 3, TROY 0
St. John's evened the all-time series between the two schools after Troy's 2009 win with a dominant defensive performance. The Red Storm held the Trojans to a .000 attack percentage as a team as no Trojan 10 kills on the day.
Cohen's streak of matches with at least 10 digs moved to 15 matches dating back to last season. Cohen posted 15 digs against St. John's on Saturday, giving her 179 on the season and 1698 in her career, just 31 shy of setting the all-time Troy career record.
St. John's (7-4) hit .291 as a team, led by Karin Palgutova and Aleksandra Wachowiczwho each posted 12 kills. The Red Storm posted 11.0 total team blocks while Troy had just 3.0.
The first set was tight with the two sides finding themselves tied eight times, including as late as 21-21. However, the second set was all St. John's as the Red Storm hit .379 and held Troy under .000. The Red Storm posted a match-high 15 kills in the third set on their way to the sweep.
