Troy Volleyball Primed For Series at Coastal Carolina

Notes

TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball is set to return to action after a two-week hiatus Thursday and Friday at Coastal Carolina. First serve between the top two teams in the Sun Belt East Division is set for 10 a.m. (CT) and 5 p.m. Thursday, and noon on Friday.

"We're looking forward to getting back on the court and playing a different opponent again," head coach Josh Lauer said. "There will be some of the best players in the conference on both sides of the net, and there will be some exciting volleyball played this week. Coastal Carolina is developing into a really fun rivalry for us, we're 2-2 in our last four matches against them and we're looking forward to the challenge this week."

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Matchup: Troy (4-1, 4-1 Sun Belt) vs. Coastal Carolina (6-0, 6-0 Sun Belt)
Where: Conway, S.C. – HTC Center

Match One (Thursday, Oct. 22 – 10 a.m. CT)
Live Stats: https://gotroy.us/3jd8XCz

Match Two (Thursday, Oct. 22 – 5 p.m. CT)
Live Stats: https://gotroy.us/3kgvMa0

Match Three (Friday, Oct. 23 – Noon CT)
Live Stats: https://gotroy.us/3kimHgN

The Trojans are looking to bounce back after a five-set defeat at the hands of South Alabama their last time on the court. Troy has had two weeks to prepare for the showdown against Coastal Carolina after the postponement of its series against Georgia Southern two weeks ago and their regularly scheduled bye week this past weekend.

Troy will look to its steady setter Amara Anderson to push the tempo and run the Trojan offense. Anderson has proved to be one of the top setters in the nation, averaging 11.30 assists per set which ranks eighth nationally. Her last time out, Anderson passed Reina Terry for sixth on Troy's all-time assist list with 2,791 career helpers.

Cheyenne Hayes and Julia Brooks have been Anderson's favorite targets so far this season and lead the Trojans with 79 and 60 kills on the year. Brooks has been one of the most efficient attackers in the Sun Belt this season with a .333 hitting percentage, the seventh-best mark in the league.

Brooks, along with Caitlin Cooper and Halston Hillier, have given Troy a more physical presence at the net this season and will have to show up against a physical Coastal Carolina squad. Together, the trio are averaging 0.90 blocks per set with Cooper leading the way with a 1.10 block/set average.

The series will pit two of the Sun Belt's best defensive teams against each other. Troy ranks first in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.120) while Coastal Carolina is second in the conference (.121). It will take a complete defensive effort for the Trojans to slow down the 2019 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Anett Nemeth.

Lacey Jeffcoat has been Troy's rock defensively this season, averaging a team-best 4.95 digs per set. Her last time out, Jeffcoat became the 11th Trojan in school history to record 1,000 career digs, and sits just five digs shy of tenth place on Troy's all-time digs list.

Know Your Opponent
Troy is 6-6 all time against Coastal Carolina, but is just 1-4 on the road against the Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina is off to a perfect 6-0 start to the year and have dropped just two sets this season. Troy and Coastal Carolina split two matchups against each other in 2019 with each team winning its home contest. The Chanticleers are led offensively by Anett Nemeth and Ani Bozdeva who have 72 and 57 kills on the year, respectively. Brigitta Petrenko runs the Coastal Carolina offense at the setter spot and has totaled 146 assists and 12 aces so far this season.

**Series History**
Overall: 6-6	Neutral: 3-0
Home: 2-2	Streak: L1
Away: 1-4	Last: 2019, L(1-3)

Follow Troy Volleyball
Social: Twitter | Instagram
Join The Conversation: #BuildTheEmpire | #OneTROY

Troy Volleyball Primed For Series at Coastal Carolina

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Amara Anderson

Julia Brooks

Caitlin Cooper

Cheyenne Hayes

Halston Hillier

Lacey Jeffcoat

Troy University Athletics