Volleyball drops pair of matches to start conference play

Troy volleyball fell in its Sun Belt Conference opener last weekend to in-state rival, South Alabama, inside Jaguar Gymnasium. The Trojans dropped consecutive 3-1 matches. 

Friday night, the Trojans finished with 47 kills, led by Amiah Butler once again with 17 kills while Ashlynn Axtell added 10 more. Troy committed 26 errors, which led to a .164 team hitting percentage. The Jaguars hit .296 as a team with 12 blocks, led by Alexa Strandberg’s seven blocks.  

The Trojans opened the four-set match with a 4-1 lead in set one, but South Alabama came back with a 9-2 run to take control of the set 25-18. South Alabama claimed the first two sets, but the Trojans fought back in the third set to keep the match alive.  

Set four was taken by the Jaguars after the Trojans committed nine attack errors and six service errors, and South Alabama won the match 3-1.  

As the Trojans continue to build unity on the court, head coach Josh Lauer noted there were other corrections to be made before the next match. 

"We continue to find consistency in our play and that was the story of the night,” Lauer said. “We will regroup and look to play a much more aggressive and disciplined level of volleyball tomorrow."  

In Saturday’s match, the Trojans fell in four sets, again led by Amiah Butler with 15 kills and a .205 hitting percentage. Freshman Brooke Forkum had a strong outing in her second collegiate match, logging 12 kills and hitting .296.  

South Alabama’s Sara Gooch had 23 kills and an impressive .475 hitting percentage in the match. Anna Loberg finished with 37 assists for the Jaguars.  

The first two sets went to the Jaguars, with South starting the first set on a 10-4 run. The second set was the opposite, as the Trojans led for most of the frame. However, South Alabama closed the set on a 10-3 run to claim a two-set lead.  

The Trojans took the third set for the second night in a row, winning 25-23. The Trojans fought a hard fourth set, with four ties and two lead changes, but the Jaguars offensive output was too much for Troy.South Alabama claimed the match for the second night in a row.  

Although the Trojans came up short, Lauer said the team will continue to build as they come home for the next match.  

"Our team battled really hard again today,” Lauer said. “It was a hard-fought match, with some great volleyball on both sides of the net. 

“This is a match we can definitely grow from. We are looking forward to being back in Trojan Arena after a long few weeks on the road and having the support of our fans back in Troy."  

The Trojans will open their home Sun Belt schedule against Texas State in a two-match series starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2. Troy will face them again Friday at 6 p.m.