Troy Takes Thrilling Five-Setter over Stetson

Friday, August 31

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

4:00 p.m.

Troy University

3-1

Stetson

3-1

TROY

Stetson

Troy Takes Thrilling Five-Setter over Stetson

8/31/2018 7:24:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Jace Sanders

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Troy volleyball battled back from several Stetson match points to clinch an exciting five-set victory over the Hatters to open the Blue Raider Bash hosted by Middle Tennessee.

The Trojans improved to 3-1 this year, the best program start since the 2014 season – Troy won eight of its first nine that season. Sophomore Cheyenne Hayes led the Trojans with a career-high 21 kills.

The first set was as close as it could possibly be, with the largest lead by either team a slim four-point margin (Stetson 17-13). It went back and forth all the way up to a 24-24 tie before the Hatters were able to clinch the opening set.

Troy jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead in the second set and followed with the match's longest rally – a six-point run to essentially seal the victory and level the match at 1-1.

After dropping a third set that was eerily similar to the first, the Trojans faced the wrong side of several match points in the fourth. However, Troy was able to battle back and finally clinch the set 33-31.

In the fifth, Troy exploded to an 8-1 lead in the first-to-15 deciding set and was able to stave off a Hatter comeback attempt to clinch its third win of the young season.

Quotable – Troy head coach Josh Lauer
"Our team showed a lot of grit against a very well-coached Stetson team. Our bench's energy in the fourth set was key to changing the momentum of the match. Just a tremendous team effort tonight."

Notable
• Cheyenne Hayes' 21 kills set a new career-high for the sophomore – her previous high was set in the Trojans' win over Appalachian State last November. The total beats last year's team-high of 18 set by Savannah Moore.

• Friday marked Belle Waldrop's first double-digit kill total in 2018 – she eclipsed the mark 11 times in 2017 including three of the first four matches of the year.

Up Next
Troy will face host Middle Tennessee and Austin Peay tomorrow afternoon, with first serve set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. in those games, respectively.