Troy Splits Matches to Close Out Troy Invitational

Saturday, August 25

Troy, Ala.

10:00 a.m.

Troy University

1-1

Southeast Missouri State

3-0

SEMO

TROY

Troy Splits Matches to Close Out Troy Invitational

8/25/2018 7:16:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (Game One)Box Score (Game Two)

By: Jace Sanders

TROY, Alabama – Troy bounced back from a tough, 0-3 loss to Southeast Missouri State early Saturday with a strong performance in the afternoon, sweeping Southeastern Louisiana in three sets in Trojan Arena.

The Trojans (2-1) finished as the runner up in the Invitational, as SEMO (3-0) took home the crown with an undefeated weekend. SaraGrace Wilson and Jenni Young represented Troy on the All-Tournament Team.

Game 1
Despite a few late rallies, Troy fell 0-3 (19-25, 17-25, 20-25) to SEMO in the morning match of the Troy Invitational at Trojan Arena Saturday.

The story of the game was the 15 blocks by the RedHawks, led by Krista Burns who tallied nine total blocks. Despite the SEMO presence at the net, Jenni Young was able to record 11 kills to lead the Trojans.

In set two, the two teams were locked neck-and-neck in a tight, 16-15 game – SEMO rallied for eight straight to reach game point and a late push by the Trojans fell just short.

The third set went back and forth for most of the game before the RedHawks were able to pull away down the stretch and clinch the match.

Game 2
With a bitter taste in their mouths from the first match of the day, the Trojans came out swinging in a three-set sweep (25-16, 25-15, 25-9) of Southeastern Louisiana to wrap up the weekend.

Cheyenne Hayes led the Troy attack, posting 13 kills and a .632 attacking percentage. As a team, the Trojans hit at a .395 clip – just eclipsing last night's .390 that marked the best total since 2014.

After a smooth win in set one, Troy trailed just once in the crucial second set – 1-0 – and ran away with it.

The Trojans was all business in the final set, blasting out to a comfortable 13-3 lead before the loud Trojan Arena crowd was able to blink. SaraGrace Wilson then served eight straight points to drive the nail in the coffin and essentially seal the match for the good guys.

Quotable – Troy head coach Josh Lauer
"I thought it was a good opening weekend. Obviously last night we came out with a lot of passion and energy. This morning we hit a little road bump against Southeast Missouri and didn't execute as well. I thought we did a good job of rebounding this afternoon against Southeastern Louisiana. I'm proud of our poise after that loss. Our team knows that we have to get back in the gym and improve on some things in order for us to build some things up before next weekend."

Noteworthy
• SaraGrace Wilson and Jenni Young were the Trojans' two representatives on the All-Troy Invitational Tournament team. Wilson recorded four service aces and 21 digs on the weekend, while Young led the team with 28 kills and a .400 attacking percentage.

• Troy's 2-1 start is its best since starting the 2014 campaign 3-0.

• Jenni Young, Savannah Moore and Cheyenne Hayes each eclipsed the 20-kill mark on the weekend. Hayes led the team with eight service aces in the three matches.

Up Next
The Trojans hit the road for the first time in 2018 as they head to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to compete in the Blue Raider Bash against Stetson, Middle Tennessee and Austin Peay.