Troy Volleyball Back in Win Column, Sweeps ULM

Thursday, October 31

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

9-12,4-7Sun Belt

ULM

4-19,0-11Sun Belt

ULM

Troy

Troy Volleyball Back in Win Column, Sweeps ULM

10/31/2024 9:19:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

TROY, Ala. – There was no fright for Troy volleyball on Thursday night, as it cruised to a 3-0 victory over ULM in Trojan Arena to open its two-match series against the Warhawks.

Troy (9-12, 4-7 SBC) picked up a much-needed victory as it tries to solidify itself in the conference standings prior to the Sun Belt Tournament in Foley, Ala., in late November. ULM (4-19, 0-11 SBC) is still searching for its first victory of conference play.

The Trojans offense had its second most efficient hitting performance of the season as it put together a clip of .353 (49-13-102) and were led by outside hitters Tori Hester (19 kills) and Kalina Calvillo (13 kills). Both players were also efficient as Hester hit .326 (19-5-43), while Calvillo had an impressive clip of .458 (13-2-24).

With her performance, Hester has extended her remarkable streak of double-digit kills to 43 matches, which continues to be the longest known active streak in Division I women's volleyball. She is now 64 kills off the program record. Calvillo has recorded double-digit kills in her last four matches and has 138 on the year.

Defensively, Troy had 7.5 total blocks on the night and got four from Ella Broadhead and three from Sydney Austin.

Leading ULM was led by Ariana Brown and her team-high 13 kills, and Ryley Boyne added 10.

Set 1: Troy 25-23
Both teams came out of the gate strong in the first set, but Troy was able to widen its lead to 15-12 going into the first media timeout. Leading 22-20, the Warhakws won three straight points and put the pressure on the Trojans. Despite that pressure, Troy won the next three points to take the first set and an early 1-0 lead. A block by Butler and Austin sent the match to set two.

Troy hit .486 (19-2-35) and got eight kills on 16 attempts from Hester. It was the Trojans most efficient hitting performance of the match. ULM was also strong offensively, as it put together a clip of .359 (18-4-39).

Set 2: Troy 25-21
Both offenses regressed in the second fame, but Troy still hit .242. Like the first set, things were close for most of it, but the only lead ULM held was 1-0 to open the set. Things were tied three times, but once the Trojans took a 16-15 lead, they did not relinquish it. A service error from ULM gave Troy the commanding 2-0 match lead.

The Trojans had six blocks – 3.0 team – in the frame, including two from Austin. The defense held the ULM offense to a .161 (11-6-31) hitting percentage.

Set 3: Troy 25-23
Troy come out slow and sloppy in the third set, and ULM was control for most of the frame. Through 30 points, the Warhawks led 17-13, but the Trojans found its rhythm and put together a 5-0 run to take an 18-17 lead and force a ULM timeout. Things remained close for the remainder of the match, but Troy was able to complete the sweep on a kill by Hester.

Quotable – head coach Josh Lauer
"We've been dealing with a few heartbreakers the last three matches, some really tough five-set losses. It was good to get that monkey off our back. It's a much-improved ULM team from last season… We're going to have to be on our p's and q's, and make sure that we're a little big tighter and a little bit cleaner tomorrow."

Up Next
Troy and ULM return to the taraflex on Friday night at 6 p.m. The match will be on ESPN+, with live stats at Troystats.com.

Notables
• Tori Hester extended her NCAA-best double-digit kill streak to 43 matches after recording 19 kills on Thursday. She is 64 away from the program record.
• Kalina Calvillo had 13 kills and now has double-digit kills in each of the last four matches.
• Amiah Butler had 11 kills and is four away from 1,000 in her career.
• Thursday was Troy's second-most efficient hitting performance of the season at .353 (49-13-102).
• Troy is 21-4 all-time against ULM and has won the last eight matches.