Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Arkansas State
Troy Volleyball Hits the Road for a Pair of Matches at Arkansas State
10/23/2024 2:54:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Coming off a split series last weekend in Trojan Arena, the Troy volleyball team is back on the road for two matches against Arkansas State at the First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
Troy (8-10, 3-5 SBC) defeated Louisiana in its Friday match last week, 3-0, before falling on Saturday in five sets. On the other side of the court Arkansas State (16-4, 6-2 SBC) went 1-1 on the road at Texas State last weekend, which included a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Wolves are currently tied for first in the Sun Belt West Division with South Alabama, who has won six straight matches since getting swept in Trojan Arena.
Match Information
The Matchup: Troy (8-10, 3-5 SBC) at Arkansas State (16-4, 6-2 SBC)
When: Thursday, October 23 – 6 p.m. | Friday, October 24 – 4 p.m.
Where: Jonesboro, Ark. | First National Bank Arena (10,563)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Troystats.com
Troy handled its business last Friday night as the Trojans cruised to a 3-0 victory over Louisiana to snap its four-match conference skid, but Saturday proved to be a little more difficult as the Ragin' Cajuns came away with a five-set victory. The Trojans continue to get strong play from star outside hitter Tori Hester, who totaled 40 kills on the weekend.
On Friday night, Hester recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 19 kills and 10 digs. On her fourth dig of the match, she became just the fourth player in program history with 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs, and just the second in the rally scoring era (Cheyenne Hayes). She is now fourth all-time in kills (1,549) and 12th all-time in digs (1,012). Her streak of matches with double-digit kills is now at 40, which is the longest active known streak in Division I women's volleyball.
Amiah Butler's strong play this season was on full display against Louisiana as she had 14 and 15 kills. She has finished the last three matches with at least 14 kills and is second on the team with 228 kills. In addition to the steady offense of Hester and Butler, freshman Kalina Calvillo and Olivia Kwiatkowski have been impressive from the outside hitting spots as of late. Calvillo had a career-high 19 kills on Saturday, and Kwiatkowski added 13.
Janelle Stuempfig and Jordan Sinness continue to thrive in Troy's two-setter system this season, as the duo are combining for 10.46 assists per set, and helping lead the Trojans to 12.77 kills per set, which is sixth in the Sun Belt and 132nd in the country.
On defense, the Trojans have been getting good play from middles Ella Broadhead and Audrey Worthington. Broadhead is second on the team in blocks with 31. Troy's block leader, Sydney Austin, hasn't played since the end of September.
Scouting Arkansas State
The Red Wolves enter this two-match series just one win away from surpassing their 2023 total (16). There offense is second in the conference in assists (919) and kills (992), while ranking third in the assists per set (12.25). On defense they are second in the conference in the SBC in blocks with 171. Middle hitter Daedrianna Cail has been a steady presence in the middle this year, as she is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.380) and third in total blocks (840).
The Trojans are 8-19 all-time against Arkansas State, but are in the midst of a five-match winning streak.
Notables
• Josh Lauer is in his eighth season at the helm of Troy, and boasts a 115-109 record while leading the Trojans.
• In the newest RPI ranking Troy comes in at No. 106, 29 spots lower than its previous ranking (77). It's good for fourth in the Sun Belt, and is one spot ahead of Arkansas State. The Sun Belt has three teams in the top 100 (Ga. Southern, App State and James Madison).
• Troy will play seven matches against teams who qualified for the 2023 Division I NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship.
• Troy is averaging 12.77 kills per set this season, which is sixth in the Sun Belt Conference and 132nd in the country.
• Leading the offensive charge this season has been outside hitters Tori Hester and Amiah Butler. Both players have earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors this season.
• Hester was impressive in Troy's two matches against Louisiana, as she totaled 40 kills. In Friday's three-set match she had 19 kills on .222 hitting, and recorded her 1,000th career dig. She is the fourth player in program history – second in the rally era – to have 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs. In Saturday's five set loss, Hester had 21 kills on .172 hitting.
• Hester's 4.89 kills per set is first in the conference and ranks her fourth nationally. In addition to k/s, Hester is fourth in the country in points per set with 5.64. She is first in the conference in total kills with 318, which is 18th among all players in the nation.
• Freshman Kalina Calvillo had a career-high 19 kills in Troy's loss to Louisiana on Saturday night. She did so efficiently on .417 hitting (19-4-36). It was her second 10-plus kill performance of the season.
• Tori Hester is 17 in the country in total points with 366.5. She is also the leader in the Sun Belt by 72.5 points. She is also second in the conference in aces per set with 0.42.
• Tori Hester has recorded double-digit kills in 40 straight matches dating back to last season, which is the longest known active streak in Division I Women's Volleyball.
• Troy's 12 Sun Belt wins last season were the most conference wins in program history. The Trojans started SBC play 10-0 before losing there first game against South Alabama.
