Troy University Athletics
Friday, September 27
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
7-5,2-0Sun Belt
3
vs
2
South Alabama
4-8,0-2Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
5
F
South Alabama
25
25
24
20
12
2
Troy
23
22
26
25
15
3
Troy Volleyball Completes Impressive Comeback to Beat South Alabama, 3-2
9/27/2024 11:22:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – After dropping the first two sets on Friday night, the Troy volleyball team pulled off a reverse sweep to shock South Alabama in Trojan Arena. It's Troy's first reverse sweep since the Trojans defeated Louisiana 3-2 on Sept. 22, 2022, in Trojan Arena.
Tori Hester was unstoppable for Troy (7-5, 2-0 SBC), as she registered a season-high 30 kills on .361 hitting (30-8-61). It's the second most kills in her career (36 vs. Southern Miss last season) and is tied for third in most kills in a single match for Troy. Hester finished the weekend with 45 kills on .368 hitting, three aces, and two double doubles after recording 13 digs on Friday. She finished the weekend averaging 5.63 kills per set. Hester now has 34 straight matches with double-digit kills.
South Alabama (4-8, 0-2 SBC) matched Troy offensively, as both sides hit .244. The Jaguars had 16.0 blocks compared to Troy's 12.0. Ultimately, they had no answer for the high-powered offense from Hester and the Trojans.
Amiah Butler also had a good showing, as she had 18 kills, two aces and a career-high seven blocks. Freshman outside hitter Kalina Calvillo registered a career-high 12 kills on 33 attempts.
Janelle Stuempfig registered a season-high 38 assists, while Jordan Sinness had 20. Stuempfig also had two blocks on the night. The setters helped lead the Troy offense to a strong showing of 12.88 kills per set in Troy's two victories this week.
The Jaguars were led by Sarah Gooch and her 17 kills and three blocks. Abryanna Cannon had 12 kills and five blocks.
Set 1: South Alabama 25-23
The first set saw South Alabama come out firing, as it quickly jumped ahead to a 6-1 lead before Troy called a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. The Trojans offense started to hit its stride as they cut the Jaguars lead all to 11-10. Things remained close for the rest of the set, and Troy tied things up at 22-22, before South Alabama won three of the final four points to win its first set of conference play on a Gooch kill.
The Trojans hit .400 (16-2-35) but had no answer for the South Alabama offense which hit .429 (18-3-35). Maradith O'Gorman had seven kills in the first set for the Jaguars, while Butler had eight on 13 attempts for Troy.
Set 2: South Alabama 25-22
The Trojans started the second set better, and the two sides traded points for almost the entire set. Troy went on a good offensive streak during the middle of the set to gain a 17-15 lead, its first of the night. The Jaguars stormed back and went on a 7-1 run to grab control of the set 22-19. An attack error by Troy clinched the second set for the Jaguars and put the Trojans backs against the wall down 2-0.
It was not a good offensive set from Troy, who hit .000 (11-11-37). The South Alabama offense regressed, but still hit .242 (12-4-33).
Set 3: Troy 26-24
Things didn't look good for Troy late in the set, as South Alabama had two opportunities to win the set and match. The Trojans trailed 24-22 but rallied off four-straight points to keep the match alive. A kill by Butler sent the match to a fourth set. The Jaguars led by as much as six points in the frame but couldn't keep the Trojans at bay.
The Trojan defense really began to click, as they held South Alabama to .158 (13-7-38) hitting. The offense began to find its grove after a bad second set. Troy hit .216 (15-7-37) and got six kills from Butler and Hester.
Set 4: Troy 25-20
The Trojans played its best overall set in the fourth frame. Troy bolted out to a 10-3 lead and forced South Alabama to call a timeout. The Jaguars battled back as the frame progressed and closed its deficit to just two (22-20), but the Trojans responded with a 3-0 run to force things to a fifth set on a kill by Ella Broadhead.
It was Hester's most dominant set of the night as she recorded ten kills on .333 hitting (10-3-21) and had four digs and a block on defense. The Trojan offense hit .270 (16-6-37) while the Jaguars hit .214 (9-3-28).
Set 5: Troy 15-12
The beginning of the final set was close and South Alabama took an 8-6 lead into the media timeout. The two teams flipped sides of the court, and the Trojans flipped on a switch as it outscored South Alabama 9-4 to win the set and match. The Trojans closed on a 4-0 run to win after trailing 12-11. Hester sealed the deal with her 30th kill of the match.
Hester had seven of Troy's ten kills in the set, while Calvillo had the other three. Troy hit .444 (10-2-18) and held South Alabama to .136 (6-3-22) hitting.
Quotable – head coach Josh Lauer
"I was really proud of our fight and grit. It's real easy to pack your bags and go home early there. We really did a nice job, and the team responded well to being challenged. Tori laid the gauntlet down for the team. Her teammates rallied around and responded well. I am really proud of Amiah for turning it around tonight after a tough night last night. There's a lot of good play out there… Just a great start to the weekend. That's a really good South Alabama team."
Up Next
The Trojans head to the Lonestar State for a showdown against the west division favorites in Texas State next Friday and Saturday . Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available at Troystats.com.
Notables
• Tori Hester registered a season-high 30 kills on .361 hitting (30-8-61). It's the second most kills in her career (36 vs. Southern Miss last season) and is tied for third in most kills in a single match for Troy.
• Hester finished the weekend with 45 kills on .368 hitting, three aces, and two double doubles after recording 13 digs on Friday. She finished the weekend averaging 5.63 kills per set. Hester now has 34 straight matches with double-digit kills.
• Amiah Butler 18 kills, two aces and a career-high seven blocks.
• Freshman outside hitter Kalina Calvillo registered a career-high 12 kills on 33 attempts.
• Janelle Stuempfig registered a season-high 38 assists, while Jordan Sinness had 20. The setters helped lead the Troy offense to a strong showing of 12.88 kills per set in Troy's two victories.
• Troy's 68 kills is a season-high and the most since they had 74 against James Madison in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament in 2023.
• Troy is 2-0 this season in matches that go five sets and 4-1 in matches that go more than three sets.
• Troy moves to 36-51 all-time against South Alabama.
Tori Hester was unstoppable for Troy (7-5, 2-0 SBC), as she registered a season-high 30 kills on .361 hitting (30-8-61). It's the second most kills in her career (36 vs. Southern Miss last season) and is tied for third in most kills in a single match for Troy. Hester finished the weekend with 45 kills on .368 hitting, three aces, and two double doubles after recording 13 digs on Friday. She finished the weekend averaging 5.63 kills per set. Hester now has 34 straight matches with double-digit kills.
South Alabama (4-8, 0-2 SBC) matched Troy offensively, as both sides hit .244. The Jaguars had 16.0 blocks compared to Troy's 12.0. Ultimately, they had no answer for the high-powered offense from Hester and the Trojans.
Amiah Butler also had a good showing, as she had 18 kills, two aces and a career-high seven blocks. Freshman outside hitter Kalina Calvillo registered a career-high 12 kills on 33 attempts.
Janelle Stuempfig registered a season-high 38 assists, while Jordan Sinness had 20. Stuempfig also had two blocks on the night. The setters helped lead the Troy offense to a strong showing of 12.88 kills per set in Troy's two victories this week.
The Jaguars were led by Sarah Gooch and her 17 kills and three blocks. Abryanna Cannon had 12 kills and five blocks.
Set 1: South Alabama 25-23
The first set saw South Alabama come out firing, as it quickly jumped ahead to a 6-1 lead before Troy called a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. The Trojans offense started to hit its stride as they cut the Jaguars lead all to 11-10. Things remained close for the rest of the set, and Troy tied things up at 22-22, before South Alabama won three of the final four points to win its first set of conference play on a Gooch kill.
The Trojans hit .400 (16-2-35) but had no answer for the South Alabama offense which hit .429 (18-3-35). Maradith O'Gorman had seven kills in the first set for the Jaguars, while Butler had eight on 13 attempts for Troy.
Set 2: South Alabama 25-22
The Trojans started the second set better, and the two sides traded points for almost the entire set. Troy went on a good offensive streak during the middle of the set to gain a 17-15 lead, its first of the night. The Jaguars stormed back and went on a 7-1 run to grab control of the set 22-19. An attack error by Troy clinched the second set for the Jaguars and put the Trojans backs against the wall down 2-0.
It was not a good offensive set from Troy, who hit .000 (11-11-37). The South Alabama offense regressed, but still hit .242 (12-4-33).
Set 3: Troy 26-24
Things didn't look good for Troy late in the set, as South Alabama had two opportunities to win the set and match. The Trojans trailed 24-22 but rallied off four-straight points to keep the match alive. A kill by Butler sent the match to a fourth set. The Jaguars led by as much as six points in the frame but couldn't keep the Trojans at bay.
The Trojan defense really began to click, as they held South Alabama to .158 (13-7-38) hitting. The offense began to find its grove after a bad second set. Troy hit .216 (15-7-37) and got six kills from Butler and Hester.
Set 4: Troy 25-20
The Trojans played its best overall set in the fourth frame. Troy bolted out to a 10-3 lead and forced South Alabama to call a timeout. The Jaguars battled back as the frame progressed and closed its deficit to just two (22-20), but the Trojans responded with a 3-0 run to force things to a fifth set on a kill by Ella Broadhead.
It was Hester's most dominant set of the night as she recorded ten kills on .333 hitting (10-3-21) and had four digs and a block on defense. The Trojan offense hit .270 (16-6-37) while the Jaguars hit .214 (9-3-28).
Set 5: Troy 15-12
The beginning of the final set was close and South Alabama took an 8-6 lead into the media timeout. The two teams flipped sides of the court, and the Trojans flipped on a switch as it outscored South Alabama 9-4 to win the set and match. The Trojans closed on a 4-0 run to win after trailing 12-11. Hester sealed the deal with her 30th kill of the match.
Hester had seven of Troy's ten kills in the set, while Calvillo had the other three. Troy hit .444 (10-2-18) and held South Alabama to .136 (6-3-22) hitting.
Quotable – head coach Josh Lauer
"I was really proud of our fight and grit. It's real easy to pack your bags and go home early there. We really did a nice job, and the team responded well to being challenged. Tori laid the gauntlet down for the team. Her teammates rallied around and responded well. I am really proud of Amiah for turning it around tonight after a tough night last night. There's a lot of good play out there… Just a great start to the weekend. That's a really good South Alabama team."
Up Next
The Trojans head to the Lonestar State for a showdown against the west division favorites in Texas State next Friday and Saturday . Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available at Troystats.com.
Notables
• Tori Hester registered a season-high 30 kills on .361 hitting (30-8-61). It's the second most kills in her career (36 vs. Southern Miss last season) and is tied for third in most kills in a single match for Troy.
• Hester finished the weekend with 45 kills on .368 hitting, three aces, and two double doubles after recording 13 digs on Friday. She finished the weekend averaging 5.63 kills per set. Hester now has 34 straight matches with double-digit kills.
• Amiah Butler 18 kills, two aces and a career-high seven blocks.
• Freshman outside hitter Kalina Calvillo registered a career-high 12 kills on 33 attempts.
• Janelle Stuempfig registered a season-high 38 assists, while Jordan Sinness had 20. The setters helped lead the Troy offense to a strong showing of 12.88 kills per set in Troy's two victories.
• Troy's 68 kills is a season-high and the most since they had 74 against James Madison in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament in 2023.
• Troy is 2-0 this season in matches that go five sets and 4-1 in matches that go more than three sets.
• Troy moves to 36-51 all-time against South Alabama.
Team Stats
USA
TROY
Kills
58
68
Errors
20
28
Attempts
156
164
Hitting %
.244
.244
Points
82.0
88.0
Assists
56
65
Aces
8
8
Blocks
16
12
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
30
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
18
Aces
2
Blocks
7
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
Middle Hitter
/ VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Setter
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