Troy Volleyball Sweeps South Alabama in Sun Belt Opener

Thursday, September 26

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

6-5,1-0Sun Belt

South Alabama

4-7,0-1Sun Belt

South Alabama

Troy

Troy Volleyball Sweeps South Alabama in Sun Belt Opener

9/26/2024 9:53:00 PM | Volleyball

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TROY, Ala. – The Troy volleyball program cruised to its first conference win of the season on Thursday, as Troy swept South Alabama 3-0 in Trojan Arena in front of the biggest crowd of the season.

Troy (6-5, 1-0 SBC) was dominant from the service line, as it recorded eight aces and was constantly disrupting the South Alabama (4-7, 0-1 SBC) offense. On the other hand, the Jaguars only recorded two aces and had 11 errors from the service line.

Tori Hester recorded 15 kills on .375 (15-3-32) hitting, and now has recorded double-digit kills in 33 straight matches. Hester also had a team-high 14 digs on the afternoon for her fourth double-double of the season. Kalina Calvillo had a strong match for Troy, as she was second on the team in kills with seven, her second most in a match this season.

The Trojans finished the night hitting .266 (35-10-94), while the Jaguars were held to a clip of .159 (36-19-107). Janelle Stuempfig led Troy with 13 assists, while also recording five kills and two blocks.

Ella Broadhead led the Trojans with a solo block and three block assists, while Sydney Austin also had three block assists. The Trojans outblocked the Jaguars 7-4 on the night.

Thursday was Troy's first sweep of South Alabama since Oct. 2, 2013, in Mobile.

Set 1: Troy 25-18
The Trojans never trailed in the first set, and the only time they weren't ahead was when things were even at 1-1. Troy quickly grabbed the lead and was up 8-6, before going on a 11-5 run to take control of the set 19-11. South Alabama put their final serve into the net to give Troy the set win and an early 1-0 lead.

It was the best offensive frame for Troy, as it recorded a .407 (13-2-27) hitting clip. Hester led with four kills, as Calvillo added three. Stuempfig also had two of her five kills in the frame, while also assisting on three Troy kills. The defense was dominant, holding South Alabama to .147 (12-7-34) hitting.

Set 2: Troy 25-19
Much like the first set, Troy never trailed in the frame and the score was tied just once. Up 6-5, the Trojans went on a 3-0 run to make it 9-5, and South Alabama never got closer than three points after that. A service ace by Hester gave Troy the set win and gave the Trojans a commanding 2-0 lead.

The offense wasn't as clean as the first set, but the defense continued to dominate as it held South Alabama to .184 (14-7-38) hitting. It was Hester's best set of the match, as she recorded six kills on 12 attempts with no errors.

Set 3: Troy 25-19
This was the closest set of the match, as South Alabama led for the first time. Things we're tied at 12 before Troy went on a 7-2 run to take control of the set. The Jaguars battled back and we're able to cut the Troy lead to two (20-18), but the Trojans proceeded to win five of the next six points to take the set and match on a Hester ace.

Hester had five kills and two aces in the set to help Troy win the match. Four of the Trojans eight aces came in the final frame of play. South Alabama couldn't generate any offense, as they hit .143 (10-5-35).

Quotable – head coach Josh Lauer
"It was great. The atmosphere was fantastic tonight. I thought the fans brought great energy and gave us an edge. I think they saw our team play some good volleyball tonight. It was really energizing. I really appreciate everyone braving the storm a little bit. I'll let them know now, it's going to be sunny tomorrow and we'll be back here at 6 p.m. tomorrow night."

Up Next
The Trojans and Jaguars continue their two-match series in Trojan Arena tomorrow night, with first serve set for 6 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available on Troystats.com.

Notables
• Tori Hester had a match-high 15 kills, her 33rd consecutive match with double-digit kills.
• Hester had 14 digs in addition to her 15 kills to record her fourth double-double of the season.
• Kalina Calvillo had seven kills, which was second on the team tonight and the second most she has had in a match this season.
• Janelle Stuempfig led Troy with 13 assists, while also recording five kills and two blocks.
• Troy moves to 35-51 all-time against South Alabama. Thursday was Troy's first sweep of South Alabama since Oct. 2, 2013, in Mobile.