Troy Volleyball Defeats Kennesaw State, 3-1

Saturday, September 14

Troy, Ala.

2 p.m.

Troy University

5-3,0-0Sun Belt

Kennesaw State

3-6,0-0CUSA

Kennesaw St.

Troy

Troy Volleyball Defeats Kennesaw State, 3-1

9/14/2024 5:59:00 PM | Volleyball

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TROY, Ala. – The Troy volleyball team came alive in the third and fourth sets to defeat Kennesaw State, 3-1, to wrap up the Troy Invitational on Saturday afternoon inside Trojan Arena.

The Trojans finish the Troy Invitational 2-0 after it defeated The Citadel on Thursday night.

Troy (5-3) has won three straight matches for the first time this season. Kennesaw State (3-6) split its two matches in the tournament.

The Trojans were led by Amiah Butler and another efficient offensive performance from the junior. Butler led with 16 kills and just one error on .536 hitting – the most efficient showing from her this season. Over the last four matches, Butler has 59 kills on a .441 hitting percentage. This weekend, she finished with 32 kills and five errors.

Tori Hester also had an impressive performance, with a match-high 19 kills for her eighth straight game with double-digit kills. The Trojans led the Owls in kills (48-40), assists (44-39) and service aces (13-8). Troy's 13 aces tie its season high, set at Alabama State last Tuesday. As a team, Troy finished the afternoon with a .235 hitting clip while holding Kennesaw State to .186.

On defense, Sydney Austin led Troy with six blocks, while Janelle Stuempfig was behind her with 5. Stuempfig also led Troy in assists with 21 and helped lead the offense to 12 kills per set.

Caroline Darractott had a team-high 11 digs for the Trojans.

Set 1: Troy 25-18
The Trojans and Owls went back and forth a lot of the set, and with the score tied 17-17, Troy went on an 8-1 run to win the set, thanks in part to a good serving effort from Darracott. Hester had back-to-back kills to make it 24-18, and the Trojans took the first set on a Kennesaw State attacking error.

Both teams struggled offensively, as the Trojans hit .088 and held Kennesaw State to .050. Hester had five of her 19 kills in the first frame to help get Troy the 1-0 lead.

Set 2: Kennesaw State 25-18
The Owls jumped ahead early in the second set, as they led the Trojans 16-6, forcing Troy to call its second timeout. The Trojans battled back to make it closer but couldn't overcome the early set deficit. A Kennesaw State block evened the match up at 1-1.

Kennesaw State hit .407 in the set, while Troy was .138.

Set 3: Troy 25-18
Like the first set, the Trojans and Owls were going back and forth, and with things tied 15-15, the Trojans exploded on a 10-3 run to finish the set and get within one set of the match victory. A block from Austin and Stuempfig won the frame. The duo had multiple blocks together during the match and were key to Troy's strong defensive showing.

The defense had a good answer for the strong Owl offense from the second set, as they held Kennesaw State to .120 hitting in the third. Butler had her best offensive frame of the match, recording seven kills on ten attempts with no errors.

Set 4: Troy 25-17
The Trojans never trailed in the fourth set, and with the two sides tied at nine, the Trojans jumped ahead on a Hester kill and never looked back. Olivia Grantham ended the match with an ace, her second of the set.

Troy served well in the final frame, recording four aces. Hester also had six kills on a .400 hitting clip. The Trojans offense hit .400 in the frame, proving to be too much firepower for the Owls to contain.

Quotable – head coach Josh Lauer
"I think we got more efficient attacking-wise. Our service game really set the tone in sets three and four. We put a lot more pressure on them, and that was a huge difference maker for us… I thought – all night long – Amiah was our most stable and consistent player from an energy and execution standpoint. It's nice when other people are working to get themselves in the match."

Up Next
The Trojans hit the road this weekend as they head to the UW Field House – one of the toughest environments in volleyball – to take on No. 8 Wisconsin on Friday night. The match will be broadcast on BTN+. Live stats will be available on Troystats.com.

Notables
• Over the last four matches, Amiah Butler has 59 kills on a .441 hitting percentage. This weekend, she finished with 32 kills and five errors.
• Tori Hester has ten or more kills in every match this season after recording a match-high 19 on Saturday.
• The Trojans tied their season high in blocks with 11.0 (16 assists, three solo).
• Janelle Stuempfig and Jordan Sinness split the setting duties, as Stuempfig had 21 and SInness had 18.
• Troy finished the Troy Invitational 2-0, including 6-1 in sets.
• Troy moves to 3-4 all-time against Kennesaw State.