Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Louisiana
Troy Volleyball Opens Conference on the Road Against Louisiana
9/20/2023 11:53:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy Volleyball opens Sun Belt Conference play at Louisiana on Thursday night in the first of two matches against the Ragin' Cajuns. The contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with first serve set for 6 p.m. from the Lewis Hall.
Troy (2-8) enters league play after facing a grueling non-conference schedule that featured three ranked teams and six that played in the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Trojans are coming off their first two home matches of the season where they split against Alabama and Grambling State last week. The Trojans took two sets from Alabama behind Tori Hester's double-double, with 19 kills and 20 digs, while Amiah Butler added 11 kills.
Julia Brooks led the Trojan offense in the victory over Grambling State, with 17 kills while attacking at a .717 rate. Hester also added 10 kills with nine digs.
Troy posted an 11-5 Sun Belt record last season en route to finishing fourth in the league and earning a spot in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship for the third straight year.
The Trojans and Cajuns also opened the conference slate last year and the teams split the two matches in Trojan Arena. Troy raced out to a hot start in league play last year winning 10 of its first 12 Sun Belt matches.
Entering the weekend, Hester leads the Trojans, averaging 3.49 kills per set and Butler is close behind at 3.17 kills per set. Brooks, Troy's all-time leader in career blocks, has continued her dominance at the net, with a team-best 27 blocks in her 35 sets of action.
Serving Up
Louisiana
Louisiana (9-5) enters conference play riding a four-game winning streak, and the Cajuns are ranked second in the league in assists and kills.
The Ragin' Cajuns average 12.43 assists per set, behind Siena DeCambra who is ranked third in Sun Belt with 10.29 assists per set. Louisiana currently averages 13.29 kills per set, behind Shyia Richardson who averages 3.80 kills per set.
The two-game series will be the 28th and 29th meeting of the programs, dating back to 1993 when Troy transitioned to DI; the Trojans hold a 14-11 lead in the series in the DI era.
