Volleyball Secures First Road Win Behind Big Night From Isa Ruether

Friday, October 2

Hattiesburg, Miss.

6 p.m.

Troy University

7-5,2-1Sun Belt

Southern Miss

11-3,2-1Sun Belt

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Troy	25	25	28	27	3
Southern Miss.	20	22	30	25	1

Box Score (PDF)

2026 09 18 Troy VB vs. The Citadel_Chris Davis

Photo by: Davis Photography

Volleyball Secures First Road Win Behind Big Night From Isa Ruether

10/2/2026 9:22:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. — Troy volleyball grabs its first road win of the season in a four-set thriller (25-20, 25-22, 28-30, 27-25) over Southern Miss on Friday.

Troy (7-5, 2-1 SBC) delivered a complete team performance, led by a stellar outing from first year outside hitter Isa Ruether. The Franklin, Wis., native surpassed 100 kills on the season after putting down 18 kills while hitting .333 (18-6-36). Kalina Calvillo added another double-digit effort with 12 kills to help propel the Trojans past the Golden Eagles, while Madison Marx notched her second double-double of the season (and third of her career) with a 28-assist, 10-dig performance.

The Trojans continued their defensive surge, posting 13 team blocks to set a new season mark for the third straight contest. Ashlynn Axtell anchored the effort at the net with nine blocks (two solo), while the Troy defense smothered Southern Miss, holding the Golden Eagles below a .200 hitting efficiency in every set.

Southern Miss (11-3, 2-1 SBC) got an offensive spark from Sadie McAda, the Sun Belt leader in attacks per set, who put down a match-high 19 kills on 59 swings. The Golden Eagles also brought strong net defense, narrowly out blocking the Trojans 14-13.

Set 1 — Troy 25, Southern Miss 20
Troy's defense proved to be the difference-maker in the opening set, tallying five blocks with five different Trojans contributing at the net. Offensively, the Trojans displayed a balanced attack as six players recorded a kill. Holding a slight 15-13 lead at the media timeout, Troy stretched its advantage to six to force a Southern Miss timeout before a joint block from Ashlynn Axtell and Brooke Forkum sealed the set victory.

Set 2 — Troy 25, Southern Miss 22
Isa Ruether took control in the second set, powering the Trojan offense with six kills

. Troy maintained pressure at the service line as three different players registered an ace to keep Southern Miss at bay

. In a tightly contested frame featuring 12 ties and five lead changes, the two squads were deadlocked at 22-all before the Trojans closed on a 3-0 run to secure the set

.

Set 3 — Troy 28, Southern Miss 30
Southern Miss showed resilience in another competitive frame, battling back to extend the match to a fourth set. Troy raced out to an early 7-2 advantage and maintained a 15-11 cushion at the media timeout. The Golden Eagles responded with a 6-0 surge to claim their first lead of the set, but Troy fought back to force extra points. Despite another six-kill effort from Isa Ruether, Southern Miss outlasted the Trojans to claim the extended set.

Set 4 — Troy 27, Southern Miss 25
Once again, Troy built an early cushion with a 5-1 lead and held a five-point advantage at the media break. Southern Miss responded with another 6-0 surge to draw even late in the set. The teams traded points to lock the score at 25-all before the Trojans delivered their 10th service ace of the night to seal the set and match victory.

Quotable — Head Coach Josh Lauer
"Really tough gritty win tonight," Lauer said. "Very proud of our players and how they stayed competitive and aggressive throughout the match. Isa Ruether had a fantastic match offensively and Haley Nash anchored our defensive effort tonight. We will enjoy the win tonight, but we need to be ready for another tough match tomorrow."

Notables

Isa Ruether set a new career-high in kills with 18.
Ashlynn Axtell filled her career record sheet with new highs in attacks (27), blocks (9), digs (2), and tied her personal best in block assists with seven.
Kenzly Foote recorded her first career assist.
Brooke Forkum tallied personal bests in blocks and block assists with six each.
Haley Nash posted a career-high 23 digs.
Madison Marx notched her second double-double of the season with 28 assists and 10 digs.
The Trojans recorded double-digit aces in consecutive matches for the first time since the 2022 season.

Up Next
Troy volleyball returns to action tomorrow as they square off once more with Southern Miss starting at 4 p.m. The match will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+.