Troy University Athletics
Troy University
3-9,1-3Sun Belt
Texas State
7-8,2-2Sun Belt
Troy Staves Off Texas State Comeback, Earns First-Ever Win Over Bobcats
10/3/2025 11:02:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball defeated Texas State for the first time in program history Friday night (25-17, 25-23, 14-25, 23-25, 11-15) inside Trojan Arena. The win also gave the Trojans their first Sun Belt victory of the season
Troy (3-9, 1-3 SBC) once again started fast against the reigning conference champions, winning the first set for the second straight night. The Trojans carried that momentum into set two before the Bobcats responded to take the next two. The deciding frame stayed tight until the end, when a block from Ashlynn Axtell and Brooke Forkum capped off a two-and-a-half-hour battle between the two sides.
Amiah Butler's finished just two kills shy of her career high, finishing with 22 (22-7-48) on an efficient .312 hitting percentage while also adding eight digs and three assists. Jordan Sinness filled the stat sheet as well, recording her first double-double of the season with 23 assists and 11 digs.
For the second straight night, Texas State (7-8, 2-2 SBC) leaned on Samantha Wunsch (14-5-36) and Nina Moorer (16-3-37) offensively, while Anna Blaine dished out 42 assists to pace the Bobcat attack.
Set 1 – TROY 25, Texas St. 17
Troy hit a blistering .448 in the first set, the second highest set percentage this season trailing only set one at Kennesaw State, where the Trojans hit at a .536 clip. Kalina Calvillo finished the set with five kills on six swings, good for a .667 hitting percentage. The Cardinal and White took a commanding 19-13 lead following a service ace from Sydney Austin and would hold onto that lead to take the early lead in the match.
Set 2 – TROY 25, Texas St. 23
Texas State led for a majority of the second set, with Troy claiming its first lead at 15-14. The Bobcats then rattled off five straight points to take control, but the Trojans would not be denied, closing the set on a 10-4 run to go up two sets to none. Butler found the floor for six of her 22 kills, doing so at a .556 rate. Sinness and Madison Marx added six and seven assists, respectively.
Set 3 – Texas St. 25, TROY 14
Texas State showed its fight in the third, in what was the most lopsided set of the match. The Bobcats held a 15-8 lead midway through the set and extended the advantage to ultimately win the set by 11 points. Moorer and Brooke Bentke both contributed five kills for Texas State, with Bentke swinging at a .375 clip.
Set 4 – Texas St. 25, TROY 23
The fourth set featured seven ties and five lead changes, including a 20-20 score late in the frame. The Texas State attack overpowered the Trojans however, as the set ended with a 20-9 kill advantage for the Bobcats. A block from Wunsch and Bailey Hanner sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
Set 5 – TROY 15, Texas St. 11
The two teams jostled for points early in the fifth, with five points a side early. The Trojans would take the next three giving them an important lead at the switch. Despite the Bobcats tying the match at nine following a service error, Troy then went on a 6-2 run to finish the match and pick up its first win against Texas State in program history. Amiah Butler delivered a standout performance when it mattered most, finishing with five kills (5-1-10) in the closing moments of the match.
Quotable – Head Coach Josh Lauer
"I thought we had a great crowd tonight and the enrgy was really special from our team. It's really easy to come out after a tough match the night before and play flat but they came out hungry and competitive which showed some maturity. That's a big program win."
Lauer on defeating Texas State for the first time in program history:
"Texas State is a great historic winning program. They're first class all the way around. For us tonight, I think the difference was we were really good from the service line, and our players did a really good job of being aggressive in the right spaces. We also didn't let emotion drive but allowed it to create momentum for us."
Notables
- With the win, James Madison is the only team in the Sun Belt Troy does not hold a victory against. The Trojans are 0-2 all-time against the Dukes.
- The Trojans are now 1-2 this season in matches that go the distance. It is the first five set win since Nov. 8 of last season against Southern Miss.
- Jordan Sinness's double-double was her third at Troy and the fourth of her career.
- Ashlynn Axtell set a new career high with seven block assists, and tied her high in total blocks, which is also seven.
- Kalya Baetzel set a new career best with nine assists.
- Nine digs from Madison Marx was good for a career best.
- Brooke Forkum's four digs set a new career high.
- Troy is now 1-21 all-time against Texas State.
Up Next
Troy is back at home again next weekend for matches against Georgia Southern on Friday and Saturday. Both matches will stream on ESPN+ with live stats available at TroyTrojans.com/livestats.
