Amiah Butler anchors Trojans offensive attack

Troy volleyball got its season back on track after defeating Jackson State in straight sets Saturday. The Trojans entered play in search of a spark strong enough to carry them to their first win of the season. The spark came in the form of senior Amiah Butler.  

Butler led the Trojans in kills with 12 – Troy finished with 39 as a team. The Pensacola, Florida, native finished the day with a hitting percentage of .417. She was able to add a service ace and three digs to her stat line as well.  

“We challenged Amiah after the Auburn match to come out a little more aggressive with her start and I thought she did an absolutely fantastic job with that,” said head coach Josh Lauer to Troy Athletics. “Tonight was really a full team effort, Amiah was a good spark, and the service line runs really put it all together for us."  

Butler has secured double-digit kills in each match to date – tallying at least 12 kills in each match this season. Butler set her current season high of 24 kills in a five-set loss to Samford.   

“Offensively this is Amiah’s team, so she understands the responsibility that comes with that and she’s handling it well,” Lauer said. “There’s pressure, but there’s privilege with that role.” 

As a team, Troy finished the day with a .338 hitting percentage, which is the highest in nearly a year – the Trojans hit .353 against ULM in October of 2024. They also obtained 11 service aces, the most in a three-set match since their showdown with Alabama in September of 2024, when Troy tallied 13.  

With this win, the Trojans not only picked up their first win of the season, but they’ve moved their record to 6-0 all-time versus the Tigers. 

Butler entered the season as the only Troy volleyball player to earn Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Honors – the outside hitter is on pace to fulfill that prophecy. She looks to build on the momentum of this win when the Trojans welcome the Mercer Bears into Trojan Arena for a midweek tilt.  After the match, the Trojans get started on a road trip that begins against Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Georgia, this Sunday.