Jeffcoat Reaches Milestone as Trojans Fall to Jaguars

Friday, October 2

Mobile, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

4-1,4-1Sun Belt

South Alabama

1-5,1-1Sun Belt

Troy

South Alabama

Jeffcoat Reaches Milestone as Trojans Fall to Jaguars

10/2/2020 9:26:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Troy Athletics Communications

MOBILE, Ala. – Troy dropped its first match of the year to South Alabama Friday night at Jaguar Gym. The Trojans (4-1, 4-1 Sun Belt) couldn't capitalize off a 2-0 lead in the match as the Jaguars (1-5, 1-1 Sun Belt) came from behind to defeat Troy, 3-2 (21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-10).

Lacey Jeffcoat posted 24 digs on the night as she became the 11^th Trojan in school history to record 1,000 career digs. Amara Anderson notched a double-double with 42 assists and 10 digs while passing Reina Terry for sixth on Troy's all-time assist list with 2,791 career helpers.

Julia Brooks and Halston Hillier led Troy offensively with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Freshman Tori Hester made her Trojan debut in the fourth set and recorded two digs.

"We lost a tough battle tonight", head coach Josh Lauer said. "We had a very difficult time getting into any sort of rhythm offensively and that was the difference in the match. Kudos to South Alabama on a hard-fought win."

Set One
Troy used a couple of early aces to build an 8-4 lead out of the gate, but South Alabama was able to chip away at the lead to tie it at 12-12. The teams would exchange points until a Natalie Hummel ace gave the Trojans a two-point advantage at 18-16 to force a Jaguar timeout. Back-to-back kills from Hayes pushed the Troy lead to four at 21-17 to force the final South Alabama timeout of the set. Troy kept its foot on the gas to take the opening set, 25-21. Jeffcoat posted nine digs in the set to surpass the 1,000-career dig threshold.

Set Two
South Alabama started hot in the second set, taking a quick 6-3 lead over the Trojans. Troy would use a 5-2 run to tie the set at 8-8 before eventually taking the lead at 14-13 on a kill from Hayes. Three-straight kills from Caitlin Cooper turned the match further into the Trojans' favor, allowing Troy to open up a late four-point lead at 20-16. Troy remained firmly in control the remainder of the set, going on to take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 victory. It was a balanced Trojan attack in the set as Brooks, Cooper and Avery Cason recorded three kills apiece.

Set Three
Troy once again allowed South Alabama to gain an early lead, falling behind 4-0 before a kill from Hayes finally got the Trojans on the board. The Jaguars still found themselves with a four-point lead at 9-5 before Troy came back to tie the set at 15-15 on a hard-hit kill from Cason. South Alabama took a late 17-19 lead to force a Trojan timeout before Troy fought back to a 21-21 tie. South Alabama closed the set with four-straight points to stay alive in the match, 25-21.

Set Four
It was all South Alabama early in the fourth set as the Jaguars quickly opened a 12-3 lead on the Trojans. Hester checked into the match and made her first-career appearance as a Trojan and recorded two digs in the set. Troy pulled within five at 18-13, but could never close the gap as the Jaguars forced a fifth set, 25-18.

Set Five
The teams exchanged points early to a 3-3 tie until South Alabama was able to open an 8-5 lead on the Trojans. Troy cut the lead to one at 8-7 but two quick Jaguar points pushed the lead back to three at 10-7 to force a Trojan timeout. Troy couldn't overcome the deficit as South Alabama completed its comeback with a 15-10 win in set five.

Notable

With 24 digs on the night, Lacey Jeffcoat became the 11^th Trojan in school history to record 1,000 digs. She sits just five digs shy of tenth place on Troy's all-time digs list.
Amara Anderson recorded 42 assists on the night and passed Reina Terry for sixth on Troy's all-time assist list with 2,791 career helpers.
Anderson posted her second double-double of the year with 42 assists and 10 digs.

Up Next
Troy continues its eight-match road swing with a trip to Statesboro, Ga., for a three-match series against Georgia Southern. The weekend will begin with a doubleheader Friday, Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. (CT) and 5 p.m. (CT). The series finale will take place Saturday, Oct. 10 at noon (CT).