Trojans Drop Home Finale to South Alabama

Friday, November 8

Troy, Ala.

6:30 PM

Troy University

21-6,10-4Sun Belt

South Alabama

20-8,11-3Sun Belt

South Alabama

Troy

11/8/2019 10:29:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Troy Athletics Communications

Troy, Ala. – Troy fell in its final home match of the season to South Alabama in front of a record crowd of 2,346 Friday night in Trojan Arena, snapping a 15-match home win streak dating back to last season. The Trojans couldn't find their groove offensively, falling to the Jags on senior night, 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-22, 25-18).

"It was a great crowd tonight and a really fun environment to play in" head coach Josh Lauer said. "Thanks to all the fans who came out to cheer us on this year. We still have a lot of volleyball left to play and we're looking forward to their continued support."

Troy (21-6, 10-4) finishes its 2019 home slate with a 14-1 record, a winning percentage of .933, the best in school history. The Trojans honored five seniors before the match. Kiara Barrett, Jenni Young, SaraGrace Wilson, Savannah Moore and manager Madi Friedman were all recognized for their contributions to Troy Volleyball.

Caitlin Cooper posted a career-high 16 kills on .333 hitting for the Trojans, smashing her previous career-best of 11. Cheyenne Hayes recorded her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 15 kills and 10 digs.

Halston Hillier was a beast at the net all night, registering six blocks, four of which came in the second set. Amara Anderson averaged just under 11 assists per set with 43 assists in four sets of action.

"We played well at times, but we had a tough time getting things going offensively," Lauer said. "We just weren't firing on all cylinders. Credit to South Alabama, they played really consistent tonight."

South Alabama (20-8, 11-3) is now alone atop the division standings, but with upcoming matches against Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State, Troy is still in the hunt for the Sun Belt East Division title. The Trojans have already clinched a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament later this month.

Set One
Things were tight early in a first set that contained six ties and two lead changes. The Trojans and Jags were tied at 11 before South Alabama went on a 4-1 run heading into the media timeout. Troy was unable to get the offense rolling out of the timeout as the Jags pushed their lead to 20-13. South Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the match after clinching the first set, 25-18.

Set Two
Troy's physical play at the net gave the Trojans life in the match, opening the second set with three straight blocks, two by Hillier and one from Hayes. The Trojans opened up a 10-5 lead over South Alabama and later pushed their lead to eight at 15-7 to force the Jags' final timeout of the set. Troy eventually evened the match at one set apiece after an Ashley Guenveur kill gave the Trojans a 25-17 set two victory.

Set Three
Set three was a back-and-forth affair, but South Alabama found itself with a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Troy scored three-straight points to tie the match at 15-15, but the Jags immediately retook the lead. The Trojans managed to tie things again at 20-20 but couldn't close out the set. South Alabama took five of the final seven points to take set three, 25-22.

Set Four
South Alabama took control of the match in the fourth set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead to force Troy's first timeout of the set. The Jags pushed their lead to 10 at 17-7 to force the Trojans' final timeout. Troy didn't go away quietly, however, cutting the South Alabama lead to five at 22-17. The Jags fended off a gritty Trojan comeback to take the set, and match, 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-22, 25-18).

Up Next
Troy gets some much-need time off after playing seven matches in 14 days. The Trojans close out their regular season on the road at Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State next Friday and Sunday, respectively. Troy and Coastal Carolina are set to square off at 5:30 p.m. CT while first serve for the Trojans and Mountaineers is 11:30 a.m. CT.