Troy University Athletics
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics (September 2026)
9/16/2026 10:35:00 AM | General
September 16, 2026
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics
Opening Message
Back-to-back home football games to open the season means that we are fully into the swing of the fall semester now! We have also hosted a volleyball tournament and four home soccer matches during this time.
I'm proud of the work our staff has put in to support our student-athletes and fans throughout these home events and begin our athletic year in a positive manner. Countless hours go into preparing for each of these events, and I'm grateful for the incredible team of people we have behind the scenes who ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience.
Additionally, I want to say thank you to you, our tremendous fans and supporters, for joining us for these first few games of the 2026-2027 athletic year. Your support matters greatly to our student-athletes and programs across the board. You continue to help create an incredible gameday atmosphere. Now is our time to build on this strong start and ensure that we have another record-setting year together. Please continue to help us bring new Trojan fans into the mix and show them the hospitality we are well known for.
Football's Strong Start
It is great to see our football program get off to a 2-0 start with wins over Sam Houston and Alabama State at Veterans Memorial Stadium. It is a long season, but the early returns have been positive, with several new players stepping up early to make an impact. I have no doubt this team will continue to gel as the season progresses.
Next up are two key road tests at Missouri (Sept. 19) and Utah State (Sept. 26). As Coach Parker mentioned earlier this week, it will be a great experience for our team to get out on the road together. This provides a great opportunity for our student-athletes to further build team chemistry and challenge themselves against two strong non-conference opponents.
Following this two-game road swing, the season within the season begins as we open Sun Belt Conference play at home against Southern Miss. Not only will this be a key SBC West Division game, but it will also be a nationally televised opportunity for our program. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6 – and yes, you read that correctly, we will be playing a home game on a Tuesday evening. This presents a great opportunity for us to showcase to a national audience the power of Troy coming together.
We need all of Trojan Nation to rally together and help us put on a great show on Tuesday, October 6 at The Vet.
We'll have a massive halftime fireworks show, and we'll have the opportunity to honor our 2026 Men's College World Series baseball team at this game. Members of the MCWS team will be in attendance, take part in a pregame poster signing opportunity inside The Vet and be recognized on the field. Tickets start at $5 each as we plan to Pack The Vet for this huge matchup.
Additionally, we'll have great giveaways for our Student Section throughout the game, and we'll host our annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game as part of this evening. Get those tickets now and help us Pack The Vet on Tuesday, October 6, against Southern Miss!
Spotlight Story – Manya Saini and Kalina Calvillo
It is early in the year, but we already have two student-athletes who have captured Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Congratulations to Manya Saini from women's golf and Kalina Calvillo from volleyball!
Manya shot 1-under and finished fourth in the season-opening Golfweek Fall Challenge. She carded a remarkable 5-under 66 in the tournament's opening round, continuing a hot streak she finished last season on. The fourth-place finish was her career-best individually, and her team also had a strong performance in the tournament. Saini led the field with 12 birdies and shot under-par on both the par 4s (-1) and par 5s (-2) in the tournament.
Kalina was named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Week after she helped lead our program to two wins in the season-opening Troy Invitational earlier this month. Through the first three matches, the outside hitter had a team-high 31 kills on .470 hitting. She also notched a team-best eight service aces to open the season, including a five-ace outing which tied her career high. This was Calvillo's first career weekly Sun Belt honor, and we have no doubt that more will soon follow!
Rolando Vargas Extended
Vamos Trojans! That's a phrase we hear and see in text messages all the time from Coach Rolando Vargas. He truly is the energy driver throughout our department, and I'm excited to share that Coach Vargas will continue to be a positive impact maker within our team for years to come as we recently came to terms on a long-term extension.
Rolando has continued to achieve fantastic results year in and year out with our men's tennis program. Last year the team won 24 matches and at one point had a 17-match win streak on our way to the championship match of the Sun Belt Tournament. Our men's tennis program begins its season this weekend in Tulsa, Okla., as part of the ITA All-American. With that in mind, there is only one appropriate way to wish our guys good luck – Vamos Trojans!
Looking Ahead – Basketball Season Approaches
Objects in the mirror appear closer than they are, which certainly describes basketball season. We're just a few short weeks away from tipping off another exciting season for our men's and women's basketball programs!
Before the season gets underway, I highly encourage you to make plans to join us for the annual Basketball Tipoff Banquet presented by Rick & Shari Smith and Rendy & Mary Taylor on Thursday, October 15. Sponsorships, tables and individual tickets for this great evening are all on sale online at TroyTrojans.com/Tipoff. You may also contact Michael Fiore at mfiore@troy.edu for any assistance or questions that you might have.
There is still time to purchase your basketball season tickets! Visit TroyTrojans.com/Tickets or call the Troy Athletics Ticket Office at 334-670-3681 to lock in your combined season tickets for the men's and women's basketball season ahead.
Heavy Hearts
You may have seen the heartbreaking news recently about beloved former assistant soccer coach Kayla Saager's unfortunate passing at such a young age. This news was devastating to all who knew her, especially with the news that her unborn daughter, Sawyer, passed with her.
Our hearts are heavy with this news and our thoughts and prayers are constantly with her family and loved ones. Kayla made a positive impact here at Troy that far exceeded her role with our soccer program. She was incredibly connected within our entire community and was a role model to so many young women within our department. As she and her husband took the next steps in their careers at Tulsa, they continued to stay in touch with our team because of how much they loved Troy.
I saw a post from her husband asking for all to honor her memory and keep her impact alive by sharing One Thing each day. The message behind this is simple yet carries an incredible impact – share One Thing each day where you made a positive impact or that brought joy to others. Kayla always found the positive in each situation and each day. The best way we can honor her is by continuing that legacy. Let's all find at least One Thing each day where we can make a positive impact. Once a Trojan, always a Trojan…and Kayla was one of our best.
Conclusion
In the spirit of Kayla's One Thing, let's all continue to keep pushing forward to accomplish great things together. There are highs and lows that we all experience in life, and those are valuable lessons that our student-athletes learn on a daily basis over the course of the seasons they compete within. Let's all keep showing up and keep pushing forward. As a collective team – coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni, etc. – we all experienced so many great moments last year. Let's make this year even better.
Keep showing up. Keep supporting in the stands. Keep supporting by wearing Troy gear. Keep making your voices heard and helping us make each experience better. We're all in this together; let's stay united as #OneTROY and accomplish great things as a team.
Go Trojans!
Kyle George
Director of Athletics
The Trojan Report: A Monthly Update from the Director of Athletics
Opening Message
Back-to-back home football games to open the season means that we are fully into the swing of the fall semester now! We have also hosted a volleyball tournament and four home soccer matches during this time.
I'm proud of the work our staff has put in to support our student-athletes and fans throughout these home events and begin our athletic year in a positive manner. Countless hours go into preparing for each of these events, and I'm grateful for the incredible team of people we have behind the scenes who ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience.
Additionally, I want to say thank you to you, our tremendous fans and supporters, for joining us for these first few games of the 2026-2027 athletic year. Your support matters greatly to our student-athletes and programs across the board. You continue to help create an incredible gameday atmosphere. Now is our time to build on this strong start and ensure that we have another record-setting year together. Please continue to help us bring new Trojan fans into the mix and show them the hospitality we are well known for.
Football's Strong Start
It is great to see our football program get off to a 2-0 start with wins over Sam Houston and Alabama State at Veterans Memorial Stadium. It is a long season, but the early returns have been positive, with several new players stepping up early to make an impact. I have no doubt this team will continue to gel as the season progresses.
Next up are two key road tests at Missouri (Sept. 19) and Utah State (Sept. 26). As Coach Parker mentioned earlier this week, it will be a great experience for our team to get out on the road together. This provides a great opportunity for our student-athletes to further build team chemistry and challenge themselves against two strong non-conference opponents.
Following this two-game road swing, the season within the season begins as we open Sun Belt Conference play at home against Southern Miss. Not only will this be a key SBC West Division game, but it will also be a nationally televised opportunity for our program. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6 – and yes, you read that correctly, we will be playing a home game on a Tuesday evening. This presents a great opportunity for us to showcase to a national audience the power of Troy coming together.
We need all of Trojan Nation to rally together and help us put on a great show on Tuesday, October 6 at The Vet.
We'll have a massive halftime fireworks show, and we'll have the opportunity to honor our 2026 Men's College World Series baseball team at this game. Members of the MCWS team will be in attendance, take part in a pregame poster signing opportunity inside The Vet and be recognized on the field. Tickets start at $5 each as we plan to Pack The Vet for this huge matchup.
Additionally, we'll have great giveaways for our Student Section throughout the game, and we'll host our annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game as part of this evening. Get those tickets now and help us Pack The Vet on Tuesday, October 6, against Southern Miss!
Spotlight Story – Manya Saini and Kalina Calvillo
It is early in the year, but we already have two student-athletes who have captured Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Congratulations to Manya Saini from women's golf and Kalina Calvillo from volleyball!
Manya shot 1-under and finished fourth in the season-opening Golfweek Fall Challenge. She carded a remarkable 5-under 66 in the tournament's opening round, continuing a hot streak she finished last season on. The fourth-place finish was her career-best individually, and her team also had a strong performance in the tournament. Saini led the field with 12 birdies and shot under-par on both the par 4s (-1) and par 5s (-2) in the tournament.
Kalina was named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Week after she helped lead our program to two wins in the season-opening Troy Invitational earlier this month. Through the first three matches, the outside hitter had a team-high 31 kills on .470 hitting. She also notched a team-best eight service aces to open the season, including a five-ace outing which tied her career high. This was Calvillo's first career weekly Sun Belt honor, and we have no doubt that more will soon follow!
Rolando Vargas Extended
Vamos Trojans! That's a phrase we hear and see in text messages all the time from Coach Rolando Vargas. He truly is the energy driver throughout our department, and I'm excited to share that Coach Vargas will continue to be a positive impact maker within our team for years to come as we recently came to terms on a long-term extension.
Rolando has continued to achieve fantastic results year in and year out with our men's tennis program. Last year the team won 24 matches and at one point had a 17-match win streak on our way to the championship match of the Sun Belt Tournament. Our men's tennis program begins its season this weekend in Tulsa, Okla., as part of the ITA All-American. With that in mind, there is only one appropriate way to wish our guys good luck – Vamos Trojans!
Looking Ahead – Basketball Season Approaches
Objects in the mirror appear closer than they are, which certainly describes basketball season. We're just a few short weeks away from tipping off another exciting season for our men's and women's basketball programs!
Before the season gets underway, I highly encourage you to make plans to join us for the annual Basketball Tipoff Banquet presented by Rick & Shari Smith and Rendy & Mary Taylor on Thursday, October 15. Sponsorships, tables and individual tickets for this great evening are all on sale online at TroyTrojans.com/Tipoff. You may also contact Michael Fiore at mfiore@troy.edu for any assistance or questions that you might have.
There is still time to purchase your basketball season tickets! Visit TroyTrojans.com/Tickets or call the Troy Athletics Ticket Office at 334-670-3681 to lock in your combined season tickets for the men's and women's basketball season ahead.
Heavy Hearts
You may have seen the heartbreaking news recently about beloved former assistant soccer coach Kayla Saager's unfortunate passing at such a young age. This news was devastating to all who knew her, especially with the news that her unborn daughter, Sawyer, passed with her.
Our hearts are heavy with this news and our thoughts and prayers are constantly with her family and loved ones. Kayla made a positive impact here at Troy that far exceeded her role with our soccer program. She was incredibly connected within our entire community and was a role model to so many young women within our department. As she and her husband took the next steps in their careers at Tulsa, they continued to stay in touch with our team because of how much they loved Troy.
I saw a post from her husband asking for all to honor her memory and keep her impact alive by sharing One Thing each day. The message behind this is simple yet carries an incredible impact – share One Thing each day where you made a positive impact or that brought joy to others. Kayla always found the positive in each situation and each day. The best way we can honor her is by continuing that legacy. Let's all find at least One Thing each day where we can make a positive impact. Once a Trojan, always a Trojan…and Kayla was one of our best.
Conclusion
In the spirit of Kayla's One Thing, let's all continue to keep pushing forward to accomplish great things together. There are highs and lows that we all experience in life, and those are valuable lessons that our student-athletes learn on a daily basis over the course of the seasons they compete within. Let's all keep showing up and keep pushing forward. As a collective team – coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni, etc. – we all experienced so many great moments last year. Let's make this year even better.
Keep showing up. Keep supporting in the stands. Keep supporting by wearing Troy gear. Keep making your voices heard and helping us make each experience better. We're all in this together; let's stay united as #OneTROY and accomplish great things as a team.
Go Trojans!
Kyle George
Director of Athletics
Wednesday, September 16
Wednesday, September 16
Monday, September 14
Monday, September 14