Troy volleyball falls to Arkansas State

Arkansas State toppled Troy volleyball in Jonesboro, Arkansas, claiming two tightly contested matches. This gives Arkansas State a clear claim to the No. 1 seed in the West Division, as it has one more divisional series.

Troy remains slotted as the No. 2 seed in the West, as it concludes its divisional matches for the season with eight division wins, but ties Louisiana and South Alabama with four losses. Troy split the series against these two teams earlier this year.

Last weekend marked the first time Troy lost back-to-back conference matches this year, as Arkansas State extended its winning streak to a conference-high eight.

The visit to Jonesboro, Arkansas, was not all losses, as Troy claimed three sets, just not at the right times to win a match. Four of the nine sets between the Red Wolves and the Trojans were decided by two points, and five saw at least seven ties.

In Friday’s match, Arkansas State hit for its highest team hitting percentage this season at .309. The main drivers of this were Addison Collum, Kaitlin Whitlock and Calea Bush, who hit for a combined 35 kills on a .518 hitting percentage.

Troy could not match the Red Wolves' efficiency as a team, but Ashlynn Axtell hit for nine kills with no errors and threw four total blocks. Axtell entered the weekend third in the conference in hitting percentage, and she also earned a career-high 31 attempts in Saturday’s match.

However, Devyn Lewis experienced a career night on Saturday with 22 kills, marking the first time she eclipsed 20 kills in her career. Bush also set a career-high with 10 total blocks, along with 11 kills for her first career double-double. The Red Wolves also set a season-high with 17 total team blocks.

Troy got in on the career-high action as Kayla Baetzel handled libero duties for the Trojans this weekend, setting a career high on Friday with 17 digs, then posting 27 the next night. Josie Hensley totaled 25 assists in Troy’s five-set match, which set a career high for the second-year setter. Brooke Forkum rounds out the group with a career-high 14 digs.

Head coach Josh Lauer remains positive and optimistic after tough weekend matches.

“Really competitive match against a very, very good Arkansas State team,” Lauer said. “We still have a lot to improve on over the next two weeks.

“We need to stay hungry and focused, as we have a quick turnaround this week.”

Troy continues its road trip heading to face Coastal Carolina for a cross-division series. The Trojans will play at Cam Henderson Center in Conway, South Carolina, on Thursday and Friday.