Troy Rolls Past Grambling State in Nonconference Finale

Friday, September 15

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

2-8,0-0Sun Belt

Grambling State

2-10,0-0SWAC

Grambling

Troy

Troy Rolls Past Grambling State in Nonconference Finale

9/15/2023 9:31:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball ended its nonconference slate with a 3-0 sweep over Grambling State in the confines of Trojan Arena Friday night.

Troy (2-8) swept Grambling State in straight sets, 25-16, 25-17 and 25-13. Julia Brooks led the team, hitting a .714 on 17 kills and one error. She also shared the net with Tori Hester for two blocks.

The tone was set from the moment the Trojans took the early 4-0 lead in the first set on kills from Hester and Sophie Sparks and two set errors for the Tigers (2-10). Troy would end the match with 44 kills, including 18 from the second set alone.

Hester carried over her momentum from last night's match to Alabama, racking up double-digit kills in her fifth match of 2023 and fourth straight at 10 combined with a pair of aces. Defensively, Sara Bates led the way with nine digs and an ace, followed by Jaci Mesa with eight. Meanwhile, Janelle Stuempfig dished out 37 assists in the match.

Zyonn Smith and Kai Williams brought in five kills and three digs for Grambling State. Alyssa Pieh ended with a team-high six digs as she battled the Troy offense. Also, Ana Calderon and Nyah Ellis combined for 18 assists in the match.

Quotable from Josh Lauer
"I was proud of our bounce back after a tough loss last night. We challenged our team with a few things that I thought they stayed mindful and focused on. Our serving was tough tonight, and we put pressure on Grambling. We played scrappy all night long. We kept rallies alive, handled that well and gave ourselves good opportunities offensively tonight. "

Notes:

Troy evens out the all-time meetings 1-1 against Grambling State.
Troy tallied 44 kills on the match, as opposed to 23 for the Tigers.
Maleah Howe made her first appearance of the 2023 season, giving the Trojans two kills, with one being match point in set three.
The Trojans led the way defensively, ending the match with 41 digs.
The victory earns Troy its first home victory of the season with eight matches remaining in Trojan Arena.

Stat Leaders
Kills: Julia Brooks - 17
Assists: Janelle Stuempfig - 37
Digs: Sara Bates– 9
Blocks: Julia Brooks and Tori Hester – 2
Aces: Tori Hester - 2

Set-by-Set:
Set 1: Troy 25-16
Set 2: Troy 25-17
Set 3: Troy 24-13

Up Next:
The Trojans' next matchup sees them open the Sun Belt Conference slate in Lafayette, La., at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, when they take on Louisiana.