Troy volleyball takes on Troy Invitational

A Trojan prepares for an attack during the Troy Invitational. Troy Athletics photo

The Trojans high-five after a point in the Troy Invitational. Troy Athletics photo

The Troy volleyball team opened the season with a 2-1 record after playing host to Mercer, North Alabama and Alabama State. The Trojans dominated their wins, sweeping Mercer on Friday and Alabama State on Sunday in Trojan Arena.

“The attackers were absolutely dynamite,” said head coach Josh Lauer after Friday night’s win over Mercer.

Not only were they dynamite, but they were also historic, setting the single-game team record at home for attack percentage at 40.7% for the match.

The Trojans also excelled from the serving line, having the top two ace servers in the tournament with Kalina Calvillo and Madison Marx, scoring eight and seven points, respectively. Calvillo started off with five aces against Mercer, tying her career high with two coming in a 10-point run in the third set.

“Knowing our float servers have our backs, so I can really go for it and put everything I have into that serve,” Calvillo said when asked about her serving confidence.

Marx found her stride against Alabama State as one of those float servers, scoring four aces in the match. Freshman Kenzly Foote matched Marx’s number, with all four of Foote’s aces coming in a single set for Troy’s early-season serving specialist.

Calvillo has been ultra-reliable for the Trojans, leading the team in kills every match with at least 10. The outside hitter has yet to record an attacking error, resulting in her boasting the highest hitting percentage of anyone who competed in the Troy Invitational with more than one attack.

Ashlynn Axtell shined as the starting middle blocker, stuffing opponents for six total blocks this weekend. Axtell also recorded the second-highest hitting percentage for the Trojans with only one error in 38 attempts.

Isabella Ruether and Haley Nash showed up in their collegiate debuts as true freshmen, starting all three sets. Ruether’s attacks found the floor eight times against Mercer, and Nash held down the libero spot, leading the Trojans considerably in digs with 38 over the tournament.

The setter spot saw time split between second-year players Marx and Josie Hensley. Marx recorded 59 assists as the starter, with Hensley chipping in 35.

North Alabama was flawless in the tournament, not dropping a single set. The Lions were led by outsides Reese Ricketts and Dylann Garner, who each scored over 30 kills. Kinslee McGowan ran the show for the Lions all weekend long at setter, totaling 100 assists through nine sets.

Mercer went 1-2 on the weekend, with the win against Alabama State coming in extra points of the fifth set. Lara Matta recorded the most kills of anyone at the Troy Invitational with 44, while also adding 32 digs.

Trojan Arena was packed with fans, and the presence was felt by Troy and the visitors. The attendance number recorded after Friday night was 1,706, which is good for top five record attendance.

The Trojans will be back in action this weekend with their first road contest of the season coming against South Carolina in the Carolina Volleyball Center on Sept. 6 at 1p.m.