Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Southern Miss
Volleyball Hosts Southern Miss in Final Home Series of 2025 Season
11/6/2025 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball closes out its 2025 home schedule this weekend, hosting Southern Miss for a two-match series at Trojan Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The Trojans enter the weekend at 4-6 in Sun Belt West play and remain in contention for a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament. Troy is coming off a road split at ULM, highlighted by a standout performance from senior outside hitter Amiah Butler, who recorded 24 kills on a .354 hitting clip in Thursday's match, despite the loss. The Trojans responded the following day with their first sweep in conference play this season.
Southern Miss makes the trip to Troy after dropping both of its home matches to Texas State last weekend. The Golden Eagles were limited offensively on Saturday, hitting just .046 in what was their third consecutive loss.
Match Information
The Matchup: vs. Southern Miss
When: Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.
Where: Troy, Ala. - Trojan Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: TroyTrojans.com/livestats
Thank You Seniors
Troy will honor six seniors prior to Saturday's match: Sara Bates, Ella Broadhead, Amiah Butler, Maleah Howe, Jaci Mesa, and Jordan Sinness. The six have been instrumental to Troy volleyball over the years, with five having spent their entire collegiate careers in the Cardinal and White. Entering the weekend, the Troy senior class has collectively appeared in 405 matches for the Trojans over the past four seasons. Jaci Mesa leads the group with 103 matches played. Senior manager Anna Williams will also be recognized.
In the Home Stretch
With the regular season winding down, Troy remains in the thick of the race for the final two Sun Belt Tournament spots in the West Division. Arkansas State, South Alabama, and Texas State have already secured their bids to Foley, leaving Troy, Southern Miss, and Louisiana fighting for the final two positions. Seeding will be finalized following Saturday's matches, as this weekend marks the final division contests of the regular season.
Troy controls its own path, with a sweep of Southern Miss moving the Trojans ahead of the Golden Eagles and into the No. 4 seed. If the two teams split the weekend series, Troy would need Louisiana to drop at least one match to ULM, as the Ragin' Cajuns hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking four total sets to Troy's three in last month's meetings.
Scouting Southern Miss
16th meeting: Troy leads, 9-6
Southern Miss is 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Sun Belt this season. The Golden Eagles rank first in the Sun Belt in multiple statistics, including aces per set (1.81) and digs per set (17.01). Sadie McAda leads the team offensively with 308 kills this season, while Southern Miss has split setting duties between Morgen Durgens (458 assists) and Gaby Zovko (339 assists). Brynn Botkin leads the conference in service aces per set, having amassed 41 aces this year.
Notables
- Troy ranks second in the Sun Belt and 50th overall in aces per set this season with 1.76. It has been a collective effort behind the service line for the Trojans, with three individuals currently at 20 or more aces this season. Sara Bates leads the team with 25, followed closely behind with Sydney Austin 's 24 and Kalina Calvillo's 21 aces.
- Amiah Butler has recorded double-digit kills in 18 matches this season, surpassing 20 kills six times. She is currently on pace to finish the year with 397 kills, which would be a career high. Butler's 4.41 kills-per-set average would not only mark a personal best but also be good for the fourth-highest single-season mark in Troy history.
- Sara Bates ranks 52nd in the nation in aces per set with 0.43. The mark is also good for second in the Sun Belt, trailing only Southern Miss's Brynn Botkin (0.53).
- Head Coach Josh Lauer is in his ninth season at the helm, holding a career record of 126-127. He is the second-longest tenured Division I head coach in Troy program history, trailing only Sonny Kirkpatrick, who guided the Trojans for 11 seasons (2006-16).
