Troy University Athletics
Troy University
2-8,0-2Sun Belt
South Alabama
7-6,2-0Sun Belt
Volleyball Upended by South Alabama in Four Sets
9/27/2025 7:28:00 PM | Volleyball
MOBILE, Ala. – Troy volleyball was defeated for the second time in as many days by South Alabama (19-25, 24-26, 25-23, 18-25), inside Jaguar Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
Troy (2-8, 0-2 SBC) was led by Amiah Butler, who finished the match with 15 kills on .205 hitting. Freshman Brooke Forkum had an impressive showing in her second collegiate match, picking up 12 kills with a .296 hitting clip.
Sara Gooch had a standout performance for South Alabama (7-6, 2-0 SBC), putting down 23 kills, hitting a remarkable .475 in the process. Anna Loberg finished with 37 assists for the Jaguars.
Set 1 – USA 25, TROY 19
South Alabama led throughout the first set, beginning the match on a 10-4 run. The Jaguars hit .361 as a team compared to the Trojans' .200 hitting percentage.
Set 2 – USA 26, TROY 24
The reverse was true in the second set, as Troy led for most of the frame. Despite holding a 21-16 lead, South Alabama closed the set on a 10-3 run to take a two-set lead. Butler, Forkum, and Olivia Kwiatkowski all finished with four kills apiece in the second.
Set 3 – TROY 25, USA 23
For the second night in a row, the Trojans took the third set when they needed it. Kalina Calvillo hit .444 on nine attempts, and setters Jordan Sinness and Madison Marx both contributed five assists to force a fourth set.
Set 4 – USA 25, TROY 18
The fourth and final set of the day was tightly contested in the early stages, with four ties and two lead changes. Forkum again had four kills in a set, this time on .571 hitting. However, Gooch and South Alabama's offensive output was too much for the Trojans, giving the Jaguars the four-set win.
Quotable – Head Coach Josh Lauer
"Our team battled really hard again today. It was a hard-fought match, with some great volleyball on both sides of the net. This is a match we can definitely grow from. Kudos to South Alabama for playing a little bit better than us today. We are looking forward to being back in Trojan Arena after a long few weeks on the road and having the support of our fans back in Troy."
Notables
- Both matches between Troy and South Alabama this weekend ended in four sets. Before Friday, Troy had not played in a four-set match this season.
- Today's match marked the first time this season Troy finished with more blocks than its opponent.
- Sydney Austin set a career-high with two assists.
- Amiah Butler's six block assists was a career high.
- Ashlynn Axtell tied a career-best with four block assists. Axtell also had four block assists last weekend against Virginia.
- Troy is now 33-33 in Division-I matches against South Alabama.
Up Next
Troy will open its home Sun Belt schedule next Thursday, October 2 against Texas State at 6 p.m. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
