Troy Tops ULM in Five-Set Thriller

Friday, October 20

Monroe, La.

6 p.m.

Troy University

11-8,9-0Sun Belt

ULM

4-19,0-9Sun Belt

Troy

ULM

10/20/2023 10:03:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Troy Athletics Communications

MONROE, La. – Troy topped ULM in a five-set thriller 3-2 (17-25, 25-13, 20-25, 27-25, 15-4) to extend its winning streak to 10 matches, setting a new program record inside the confines of the Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Friday night.

Troy (11-8, 9-0 SBC) was led offensively by Tori Hester with 23 kills, 20 digs and six aces, the most of either team to push the win streak to ten matches- the longest win streak in program history. She was followed by
Amiah Butler, who tallied 16 kills and three digs.

The Trojans outscored the Warhawks in the fifth set 12-2 to seal the victory. Butler and Hester recorded four kills apiece. Hester continued to dominate from the serve line by adding two aces.

Janelle Stuempfig handed out 40 assists while tallying one block and four kills. In addition, Jaci Mesa tallied 23 digs while racking up a season-high of seven assists.

ULM (4-19, 0-9 SBC) was led by Brynn Botkin and Ariana Brown, who recorded 12 and 11 kills respectively. Taylor Thomas recorded 19 of the Warhawks' digs, while Bailey Robertson dished out 24 assists. The Warhawks held their own at the net by recording 12 blocks as opposed to Troy's four.

Quote from Josh Lauer

"Gritty win down the stretch. I was proud of the way we played late in the match. Kudos to ULM. They came out with a great game plan and put a lot of pressure on us. So, we're fortunate to come out with a good win. We will look forward to another competitive game tomorrow."

Notes

Tori Hester recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 23 kills and 20 digs.
Julia Brooks recorded her second ace of the season. Her first came from the match against Miami, Fla. (9/02), making this her ninth career ace.
In five-set matches, the Trojans improved to 22-18 under head coach Josh Lauer.
Tori Hester tied her career high of six aces in tonight's match. Her previous record was set last year against Arkansas State (10/14/22).
Troy sets a new program record for the longest win streak of 10 matches – the previous being in 2022 with nine wins.

Stat Leaders
Kills: Tori Hester – 22
Assists: Janelle Stuempfig – 40
Digs: Jaci Mesa – 23
Blocks: Julia Brooks – 2
Aces: Tori Hester – 6

Set-by-Set
Set One: 17-25
Set Two: 25-13
Set Three: 20-25
Set Four: 27-25
Set Five: 15-4