Troy University Athletics
Troy Records Best SBC Start in Program History, Sweeps Arkansas State
10/13/2023 10:26:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball rolled over Arkansas State in straight sets (25-20-25-17-26-25) to extend its win streak to eight matches inside the Trojan Arena Friday night while achieving the best program start in conference play at 7-0.
Troy (9-8, 7-0 SBC) was led by Julia Brooks, who commanded the offense with 17 kills and three blocks to extend its win streak to eight matches. Tori Hester and Amiah Butler followed with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.
Brooks recorded eight of her 17 kills in the third set as she slammed down the match's final point to seal the victory. The Trojans recorded double-digit kills in every set, whereas the Red Wolves only managed to record double figures in the last set at 13.
The Trojans lead for most of the first and second set. However, the Red Wolves (11-7, 1-6 SBC) commanded the third set, putting themselves two points from a set win at 23-19 after Bailey Helzer earned an ace. Troy proceeded to go on a 4-0 run to tie the match, 23-23, on a Brooks/Stuempfig block.
A brief lapse in the run to put Arkansas State at match points, 24-23, on an attack error for Troy was ended by three straight points by the Trojans to sweep the Red Wolves, 26-24.
Jaci Mesa led the defense, being the only Trojan to rack up double-digit digs in the match at 18 – recorded 36 percent of Troy's total. Additionally, Janelle Stuempfig dished out 39 assists, five kills and nine digs to boost the Trojans.
Yazman Billings and Tegan Seyring led Arkansas State, collecting seven and six kills, respectively. Sarah Martinez led the Red Wolves defensively by recording eight digs in the match.
Quote from head coach Josh Lauer
"We came out good, were a little flat energy-wise, and talked about that a little after the match. Overall, we stayed consistent offensively. That was a big part of being successful tonight. Kudos to Arkansas State. They adjusted the third set to put more pressure on us. We served as tough as we could have, but Arkansas State did a good job passing. I was proud of the way we played down the stretch. We made good defensive stops at the end, and we worked hard on the transition game at the end. Overall, I'm proud of how we finished the game tonight."
Notes
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Tori Hester extends her ace streak to nine games, recording an ace for Troy's 25th point of the third set in the win over Arkansas State.
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Troy set a new program record by recording the best conference start in program history at 7-0 – best since 2020, when the team started 4-0.
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The Troy offense, in the last eight matches, has recorded double-digit kills in every set.
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Troy held Arkansas State to 32 as opposed to its 50 digs.
Stat Leaders
Kills: Julia Brooks – 17
Assists: Janelle Stuempfig – 39
Digs: Jaci Mesa – 18
Blocks: Julia Brooks – 3
Aces: Tori Hester and Olivia Grantham – 1
Set-by-Set
Set One: 25-20
Set Two: 25-17
Set Three: 26-24
