Volleyball Looks to Keep Hot Streak Alive Against South Alabama

Thursday, October 22

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

South Alabama

2026 09 19 Troy VB vs. Northwestern State_Chris Davis

Photo by: Davis Photography

Volleyball Looks to Keep Hot Streak Alive Against South Alabama

10/21/2026 11:55:00 AM | Volleyball

Match Notes Match #1 Live Stats Watch Match #1 Match #2 Live Stats Watch Match #2

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. — Troy volleyball returns to Trojan Arena for a weekend series against South Alabama with the two matches set for Thursday, Oct. 22 and Friday, Oct. 23.

Troy (12-5, 7-1 SBC) has dominated the month of October, surging to a perfect 6–0 record — all in Sun Belt Conference play

. The Trojans kicked off their six-game winning streak with a road sweep of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, followed by a victory over ULM at home, before capping it off with their third consecutive series sweep against Louisiana Tech on the road.

Serving continues to power the Trojans' success, with the team ranking third nationally and first in the Sun Belt at 2.18 aces per set

. Kalina Calvillo leads Troy with 33 aces (0.55/set, 23rd nationally), followed closely by Olivia Kwiatkowski with 29 aces (0.48/set, 40th nationally)

. Five other Trojans — Madison Marx, Kenzly Foote, Brooke Forkum, Haley Nash, and Josie Hensley — have recorded at least 10 aces this season

.

South Alabama (8-12, 3-5 SBC) and Troy will square off for the 66th and 67th time this weekend since the Trojans made the jump to Division I in 1993. The Jaguars hold a slight 33-32 advantage all-time after having swept the Trojans last season.

Game Information
Matchup: South Alabama

When: Thursday, 6 p.m. | Friday, 6 p.m.

Where: Troy, Ala. — Trojan Arena

Watch: ESPN+

Stats: TroyTrojans.com/livestats

Scouting South Alabama
66th and 67th meeting: South Alabama leads all-time series 33-32.

South Alabama has lost three of its last four matchups, having lost both matches to Arkansas State before splitting with Louisiana last weekend.

First-year setter Anabelle Cerny has quickly emerged as one of the top setters not only in the conference, but in the entire country

. Cerny has accumulated 698 assists — ranking 44th nationally — while her 9.18 assists per set rate ranks second in the conference

.

The Jaguars feature a balanced offensive attack, with five players having eclipsed 100 kills on the season

. Dalayla Blackwell leads the team with 195 kills, followed by Eva Dittmar (171), Cambria Gaier (162), Sarah Gooch (139), and Alexa Strandberg (100).

Axtell Anchor
Ashlynn Axtell has provided a major spark for the Trojans this season. The third-year middle hitter leads the team in blocks with 61 and ranks third on the team in kills with 152. The Austin, Texas, native has posted a .379 attack percentage on the season, which ranks 50th nationally and third in the Sun Belt.

Streaking
Troy enters its upcoming series against South Alabama having won 10 of its last 11 matches

. This marks the program's best 11-match stretch since the 2023 season, when the Trojans won 11 consecutive contests

. Additionally, Troy's current six-match winning streak is its longest run since that same 2023 campaign.

Notables

Troy comes in at No. 106 on the NCAA's weekly RPI ranking.
With 14 kills in last Friday's win over Louisiana Tech, Olivia Kwiatkowski became the fourth Trojan to lead the team in kills in a single match on the season.
After opening the season 0–5 when dropping the first set, the Trojans have turned things around by winning three straight matches in which they fell behind early.