Troy University Athletics
Troy University
8-14,6-8Sun Belt
Southern Miss (Senior Day)
14-11,6-8Sun Belt
Trojans Clinch Sun Belt Tournament Berth with Senior Day Victory over Southern Miss
11/8/2025 7:06:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Troy volleyball clinched its spot in the Sun Belt Tournament on Saturday, defeating Southern Miss in a five-set marathon inside Trojan Arena.
It was fitting that on a day when the 2025 Senior Class was celebrated, Amiah Butler closed out her Trojan Arena career with a dominant 32-kill performance. The 32 kills tie for the fourth-most all-time in a single match by a Trojan, and Butler did it on an incredible .375 hitting percentage.
Other seniors also stepped up to send Troy (8-14, 6-8) back to Foley, Ala., for the Sun Belt Tournament, which begins Nov. 20. Libero Jaci Mesa capped her home career with a signature performance - a career-high 28 digs along with seven assists. Jordan Sinness added 25 assists and nine digs.
Southern Miss (14-11, 6-8) has also clinched a berth in Foley despite dropping both matches this weekend. For the Golden Eagles, Sadie McAda led the team with 18 kills on Saturday.
Set 1 – TROY 25, Southern Miss. 20
The first 10 points of the match were split between the two teams, before Troy used a four-point run to take control of the set. The lead was maintained until Southern Miss used a 4-0 run of its own to tie the set at 15. Two important plays from Kalina Calvillo – a kill and an ace – allowed Troy to pull away for good this time, taking the opening set 25-20.
Set 2 – TROY 29, Southern Miss. 31
The second set was the longest of the five-set affair, featuring 16 ties and six lead changes. Troy jumped out to a 12-8 lead after a kill from Butler, but Southern Miss's Brynn Botkin responded with back-to-back kills to pull the Golden Eagles closer, a theme that continued for the remainder of the set. Despite holding four set points, the Trojans couldn't put Southern Miss away, and one of Butler's eight total attack errors sealed the set for the Golden Eagles.
Set 3 – TROY 23, Southern Miss. 25
The third followed a similar pattern as the preceding two. Troy opened up an early lead at 5-1 following a Madison Marx ace, but Southern Miss would quickly close the gap to tie the set a seven apiece. The Golden Eagles would continue to apply pressure, a led 21-15 late in the frame. A service run from Jordan Sinness inched the Trojans back into the set, but it was not enough, and Southern Miss would take the set, 25-23.
Set 4 – TROY 25, Southern Miss. 17
With their backs against the wall, the Trojans knew they needed to win the final two sets to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament. The result was a .304 hitting percentage as a team in the fourth set, highlighted by six kills on 12 swings from Butler. Troy led 12-3 midway through, and won the set, 25-17.
Set 5- TROY 15, Southern Miss. 5
The race to 15 opened with Troy taking five of the first six points, and a Sydney Austin kill pushed the Trojans ahead 10-4. That was all the Cardinal and White needed, as Olivia Kwiatkowski delivered the final kill to punch Troy's ticket to Foley.
Quotable – Head Coach Josh Lauer
"I'm just really proud of our team. They put in a lot of focused work this week and showed up every day. Our opportunity to make the [Sun Belt] tournament came down to can we play back-to-back nights at a high level. That's been up and down for us this year, so really proud and thankful that they matured and competed so hard last night and tonight. They earned it tonight. It was a really good night to be a Trojan."
Notables
- Head coach Josh Lauer has qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament in all nine seasons he has been at Troy.
- Amiah Butler's 32-kill performance ranks among the best in program history. Her .375 hitting percentage stands out as well, while the 32 kills tie for fourth all-time at Troy, her efficiency surpasses each of the three performances ahead of her (.181, .291, .210).
- Jaci Mesa's 28 digs were the most by a Trojan since Lacey Jeffcoat accomplished the same feat on Oct. 2, 2021 at Arkansas State.
- With the win, Troy clinched the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt West. The Trojans will face the No. 5 seed in the East, Marshall, on Nov. 20 in Foley, Ala. Match time is TBD.
- The two wins against Southern Miss marked the first time this season the Trojans have swept a conference series.
- The three-match winning streak dating back to last Friday's match at ULM is also a season-high.
- In addition to Butler and Mesa's historic highs, other Trojans also set new bests in Saturday's match.
- Sydney Austin set a new career high with 11 kills. Her 10 digs were also a new best, giving the junior her first career double-double.
- Madison Marx recorded a career-high 13 digs to go along with 30 assists. The junior setter now has six double-doubles on the season, including one in each of the last three matches.
- Troy has taken the last seven matches against Southern Miss dating back to 2022, and is now 11-6 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
Up Next
Troy will tune up for the Sun Belt Tournament with its final two regular-season matches next weekend at App State. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT on Friday night, and 1 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon.
