Volleyball Opens Conference Play in Texas

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TROY, Alabama- The Troy volleyball team (5-9) opens Sun Belt Conference play on the road in Texas as they face UT Arlington (6-7) and Texas State (8-6) on Friday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, September 23. Match times are set for 6:30 and 12 p.m., respectively.

The Trojans hit the road for their final leg of an eight game road swing. In its last outing, Troy went 1-2 at the Crimson and White Tournament hosted by Alabama. The Trojans split the first day, falling to Murray State, but bounced back in the second match of the day to sweep the Southern Jaguars. The Crimson Tide wrapped up the tournament defeating the Trojans 3-0.

Lauren Long and Belle Waldrop led the efforts for the Trojans as they each posted 24 kills (2.67 kills/set) in nine sets played. Long recorded 27 points while Waldrop added 26. Defensively, libero Bethany Cullity put up a team-high 45 digs, averaging 5.0 digs/set.

SCOUTING THE MAVS
Troy looks to close the gap as UT Arlington holds on to a 6-1 series lead over the Trojans. The Mavs enter the conference opener coming off a 1-3 weekend in the Maverick Classic to conclude non-league action. Junior Zhanelle Geathers leads the team in kills with 162; 3.52 per set, ranking her fourth in the conference. Defensively, Qiana Canete has a team-high 136 digs and 169.0 points for UT Arlington.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Heading into the weekend, Texas State leads the West with an 8-6 record. The Bobcats currently lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.169), and rank second in assists (12.36), kills (13.09) and digs (16.25). The Trojans look to snap an eight game losing streak against the Bobcats, as Texas State owns an 8-0 record all-time against Troy.

QUOTABLE
"The end of the long road swing and the beginning of conference play coinciding is great for us," head coach Josh Lauer said. "We are excited to begin the next chapter of our season. Our preparation was good this week and we are looking forward to competing hard against both UT Arlington and Texas State."

NOTEWORTHY
• Troy ranks in the top-30 nationally and is first in the conferece with 1.67 service aces per set; freshman Cheyenne Hayes leads the team with 22, which is second in the conference.
• The Trojans are third in the Sun Belt in kills with 645 (12.65/set).
• Logan Page ranks third in the conference with a .376 hitting percentage, while Savannah Moore holds on to the eighth place ranking with a .326 percentage.
• Troy leads its opponents in kills (645-543), assists (599-494), digs (607-584) and aces (85-59).

Troy University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Bethany Cullity

Cheyenne Hayes

Lauren Long

Savannah Moore

Logan Page

Belle Waldrop

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