Troy University Athletics
Troy University
2-3,0-0Sun Belt
Mercer
1-7,0-0SoCon
Butler’s Double-Double Powers Troy Past Mercer, 3-0
9/10/2025 9:31:00 PM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. – Amiah Butler finished with 18 kills and 15 digs as Troy volleyball swept Mercer (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) inside Trojan Arena on Wednesday night.
Troy (2-3) was exceptional throughout the evening, finishing with 44 kills at a .250 hitting clip while adding nine aces. Butler's 18 kills came on a .368 hitting percentage, and the double-digit digs gave the senior Troy's first double-double of the season. Madison Marx continued the strong start to her freshman campaign with 15 assists, while contributing eight digs and four aces to the winning cause. Fellow setter Jordan Sinness had a similarly successful night, adding 17 assists and eight digs.
Mercer (1-7) was paced by Sophia Henry's nine kills, while Olivia Elliot hit .455 with six kills. Despite finishing the three-set match with 33 kills, the Bears were held to just a .165 attack percentage.
Set 1- Troy 25, Mercer 16
The Trojans pulled away midway through the opening frame, giving the home team a comfortable first set win. Butler led the match with four kills in the early going.
Set 2 – Troy 25, Mercer 19
Troy raced out to an early 7-2 advantage behind strong serving from Marx and Sara Bates. Henry's four kills throughout the set brought the Bears within two points, but it was not enough as the Trojans took the set 25-19.
Set 3 – Troy 25, Mercer 22
The two teams played an extremely tight third set, with their hitting percentages only separated by .016. Mercer's biggest lead of the match came at 17-12 in the third set, but Troy used an 8-0 scoring run with Syndey Austin behind the line to put the Trojans ahead. A service error from the Bears gave Troy the set and the sweep.
Quotable – Head Coach Josh Lauer
"Mercer hung around and definitely gave us some fight there at the end, but I was super proud of our servers. Sydney Austin got us back in that match and Sara Bates closed the door. We've been very fortunate to have some really aggressive services through clutch times throughout the season. The game changing service runs were a big highlight tonight and really helped us through a couple difficult stretches."
Notables
- Troy is now 16-7 all-time against Mercer.
- Amiah Butler's double-double performance (18 kills, 15 digs) is Troy's first of the season. Tonight gives Butler the fourth double-double of her career.
- Butler also tied a career-high in assists with two.
- Ashlynn Axtell hit .625 with six kills and one error. The performance marks Axtell's highest hitting percentage of her career.
- With tonight's win, Troy has swept back-to-back opponents for the first time since last season against ULM (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1)
- Troy's 44 kills are also its most in a three-set match since the Oct. 31 matchup against ULM when the Trojans put down 49 balls.
Up Next
Troy will head east to Georgia to take on the Kennesaw State Owls on Sunday, September 14. The match will begin at 12 p.m. CT with the action streamed on ESPN+.
