Troy University Athletics
Friday, October 2
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 p.m.
Troy University
at
Southern Miss
Photo by: Davis Photography
Volleyball Travels to Southern Miss for First Sun Belt Road Test
10/1/2026 11:49:00 AM | Volleyball
TROY, Ala. — Troy volleyball returns to the court for its first road trip of Sun Belt play with a pair of matchups against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3.
Opening Sun Belt play at home, Troy (6-5, 1-1 SBC) earned a series split against Louisiana. Behind a dominant team defense and 19 kills from Kalina Calvillo — matching her career mark — the Trojans captured the series opener. The Ragin' Cajuns bounced back in match two, edging out Troy in a five-set thriller despite a late Trojan push.
The Trojans' defense turned in a standout weekend performance against Louisiana, tallying 144 digs and 22 blocks across the two-match series. In Friday's victory, five Trojans reached double-digit digs in the same match for the first time this season. At the net, Ashlynn Axtell and Sophie Ocampo led the blocking effort, both eclipsing 10 blocks over the weekend.
Southern Miss (11-2, 2-0 SBC) and Troy will meet for the 13th and 14th times this weekend. The Trojans hold an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series and have controlled the matchup in recent years, carrying a seven-match win streak over the Golden Eagles into the weekend.
Game Information
Matchup: Southern Miss
When: Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Hattiesburg, Miss. — Southern Miss Wellness Center
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: TroyTrojans.com/livestats
Scouting Southern Miss
13th and 14th meeting: Troy leads all-time series 8-4.
Southern Miss enters the weekend atop the Sun Belt Conference standings with an 11-2 overall record. The Golden Eagles opened conference play with a road sweep of Louisiana Tech and have won seven of their last eight matches. As a team, Southern Miss leads the Sun Belt and ranks 17th nationally with 2.07 aces per set. Individually, Allie Hazelwood paces the conference with 10.74 assists per set (494 total), while Sadie McAda leads the Sun Belt with 11.15 attacks per set to go along with a team-high 194 kills.
Hittin' Highs
Last weekend's series against Louisiana featured a flurry of individual milestones, with the Trojans combining for 10 career or personal bests. Josie Hensley set back-to-back career highs in assists with 21 on Friday and 22 on Saturday, while Haley Nash registered a career-high 22 digs. Offensively, Kalina Calvillo matched her career best with 19 kills on a personal-high 55 attempts, and Isa Ruether tied her career mark of 13 kills on 39 attacks. Brooke Forkum added seven kills on a sharp .467 hitting clip to go with two aces, Kayla Baetzel led Friday's defensive effort with 14 digs, and Kenzly Foote tied her season high with four digs.
Acing the Test
Kalina Calvillo leads the Trojans with a team-high 18 service aces on the season, highlighted by three consecutive aces during the second set against Louisiana on Saturday. Close behind, third year outside hitter Olivia Kwiatkowski ranks second on the squad with 14 aces, having posted three in each of her last three matches.
Notables
Opening Sun Belt play at home, Troy (6-5, 1-1 SBC) earned a series split against Louisiana. Behind a dominant team defense and 19 kills from Kalina Calvillo — matching her career mark — the Trojans captured the series opener. The Ragin' Cajuns bounced back in match two, edging out Troy in a five-set thriller despite a late Trojan push.
The Trojans' defense turned in a standout weekend performance against Louisiana, tallying 144 digs and 22 blocks across the two-match series. In Friday's victory, five Trojans reached double-digit digs in the same match for the first time this season. At the net, Ashlynn Axtell and Sophie Ocampo led the blocking effort, both eclipsing 10 blocks over the weekend.
Southern Miss (11-2, 2-0 SBC) and Troy will meet for the 13th and 14th times this weekend. The Trojans hold an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series and have controlled the matchup in recent years, carrying a seven-match win streak over the Golden Eagles into the weekend.
Game Information
Matchup: Southern Miss
When: Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Hattiesburg, Miss. — Southern Miss Wellness Center
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: TroyTrojans.com/livestats
Scouting Southern Miss
13th and 14th meeting: Troy leads all-time series 8-4.
Southern Miss enters the weekend atop the Sun Belt Conference standings with an 11-2 overall record. The Golden Eagles opened conference play with a road sweep of Louisiana Tech and have won seven of their last eight matches. As a team, Southern Miss leads the Sun Belt and ranks 17th nationally with 2.07 aces per set. Individually, Allie Hazelwood paces the conference with 10.74 assists per set (494 total), while Sadie McAda leads the Sun Belt with 11.15 attacks per set to go along with a team-high 194 kills.
Hittin' Highs
Last weekend's series against Louisiana featured a flurry of individual milestones, with the Trojans combining for 10 career or personal bests. Josie Hensley set back-to-back career highs in assists with 21 on Friday and 22 on Saturday, while Haley Nash registered a career-high 22 digs. Offensively, Kalina Calvillo matched her career best with 19 kills on a personal-high 55 attempts, and Isa Ruether tied her career mark of 13 kills on 39 attacks. Brooke Forkum added seven kills on a sharp .467 hitting clip to go with two aces, Kayla Baetzel led Friday's defensive effort with 14 digs, and Kenzly Foote tied her season high with four digs.
Acing the Test
Kalina Calvillo leads the Trojans with a team-high 18 service aces on the season, highlighted by three consecutive aces during the second set against Louisiana on Saturday. Close behind, third year outside hitter Olivia Kwiatkowski ranks second on the squad with 14 aces, having posted three in each of her last three matches.
Notables
- Troy looks to capture its first road win of the season after falling to SEC opponents, South Carolina and No. 10 Florida earlier this season.
- In the Trojans' win over the Ragin' Cajuns, Madison Marx recorded the second double-double of the season for Troy, as the setter notched 22 assists and 11 digs.
- Ashlynn Axtell is currently hitting at a .408 clip, which ranks second in the Sun Belt and 35th nationally.
Players Mentioned
Middle Hitter
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Middle Hitter
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ VolleyballSaturday, September 26
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