Troy University Athletics
Troy University
5-4,0-0Sun Belt
Wisconsin
5-3,0-0Big Ten
Troy Volleyball Bested by No. 7 Wisconsin
9/20/2024 9:37:00 PM | Volleyball
Madison, Wis. – In front of 7,229 people in the UW Field House, the Troy volleyball team battled No. 7 Wisconsin tough, but ultimately fell 3-0 on Friday night.
Troy (5-4) led halfway through the first set as they took on one of the best teams in the country, but the Wisconsin (5-3) offense prevailed as it finished with a .416 hitting percentage compared to the Trojans .057 hitting clip. The Badgers also dominated from the service line, recording eight aces.
Tori Hester led all hitters with a match-high 13 kills on 36 attempts. Amiah Butler added nine on 28 attempts. Janelle Stuempfig, a native of Sussex, Wis., led Troy with a match-high 12 assists.
Anna Smrek led Wisconsin with 10, while the defending AVCA National Player of the Year Sarah Franklin had nine.
Set 1: Wisconsin 25-18
The Trojans got off to a strong start in the first set, as the two teams traded points for the first half of the frame. The Trojans took a 13-12 lead off a kill by Butler. Wisconsin turned things up offensively and proceeded to go on a 9-1 run to take a commanding lead and force Troy to call a timeout. A kill by CC Crawford won the set and gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
It was Troy's best offensive set of the night, as it recorded 10 kills on .161 hitting. Butler and Hester each had five kills. The Badgers hit .360.
Set 2: Wisconsin 25-13
The Badger defense was dominant as Wisconsin took a 2-0 match lead. The UW team recorded five blocks in the set as the Trojans hit -.065. Smrek had four block assists in the frame and recorded three kills as the Wisconsin offense hit .321. Hester had three kills for the Trojans.
Set 3: Wisconsin 25-14
The Wisconsin defense continued to play strong in the third set, as the Trojan offense was held to .077 hitting. Hester had five of Troy's six kills in the frame. Maleah Howe, a Wisconsin native, saw her first action of the season for Troy and recorded a kill. UW clinched the match with a service ace by Saige Damrow.
Quotables – head coach Josh Lauer
"Tonight was a very good experience for our team. They stuck together in a tough environment against one of the very best teams in the country. We will be a better team this season because of the competitive challenge we faced tonight. I'm excited about the direction our team is headed this season."
Up Next
The Trojans are back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. as they take on Texas A&M in the UW Field House. The match will be broadcast on B1G+, with live stats available at Troystats.com.
Notables
• Tori Hester scored 13 kills on Friday night, extending her double-digit kill streak to 31 matches.
• Amiah Butler, who was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, had nine kills on Friday.
• Wisconsin natives Janelle Stuempfig and Maleah Howe each appeared in Friday's match. Stuempfig led the team with 12 assists, while Howe recorded a kill in the third set.
• The Trojans moved to 0-1 all-time against Wisconsin and 0-3 all-time against Big Ten teams.
