Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Southern Miss
Troy Hosts Southern Miss in Conference Home Opener
9/28/2023 11:32:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy returns home on a three-match win streak, preparing to face Southern Miss in a two-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Trojan Arena. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN +.
This will be Southern Miss's first visit to the Trojan Arena since 2014, where the Trojans seized a 3-0 win. Before that, the Golden Eagles made the trip to Troy three previous times. Overall, the programs have met 13 times, with Southern Miss holding a narrow 7-6 win margin in the series.
Through the first week of conference play, Troy (4-8, 2-0 SBC) sits atop the league in three different categories. In conference matches only, Troy leads the Sun Belt with a .382 hitting percentage, 3.33 blocks per set and 2.33 aces per set.
After playing some of the best teams in the country during its non-conference slate, the Trojans have found success in their conference games. During its three consecutive sweeps, Troy has recorded 122 kills off a .347 hitting percentage.
Tori Hester leads the Trojan offensive, averaging 4.21 points per set, with Amiah Butler and Julia Brooks close behind with 3.63 and 3.44 points per set, respectively.
Additionally, Janelle Stuempfig averages 10 assists per game to help the Trojan offense. On the defensive front, Jaci Mesa averages 2.66 digs per game.
Serving Up
Southern Miss
Southern Miss (5-8, 0-2 SBC) comes to Troy on a three-match losing streak after competing at South Alabama last week. The Golden Eagles fell in a 3-0 sweep on Thursday and pushed it to four sets Friday against the Jaguars.
The Golden Eagles are ranked third in digs with 115, averaging 16.43 per set. Mia Wesley leads the USM offense, averaging 3.81 kills per set and 4.47 points per set. Megan Harris heads up the Southern Miss defense with 175 digs for 1.69 per set.
