Volleyball falls in series to Georgia Southern

The Troy volleyball team fell to Georgia Southern in a two-match series inside Trojan Arena last weekend.  

The Trojans struggled to overcome 28 attack errors on Friday, which head coach Josh Lauer says was the biggest problem of the night. 

“We weren’t consistent enough to win tonight,” Lauer said. “It really cost us the match. 

“Seventeen unforced errors were really the difference. We had a lead there in the fourth to get us into the fifth and we just got too error prone.” 

Amiah Butler came up one kill shy of her career high mark with 23 in Friday’s match and claimed her third double-double of the season and sixth of her career. Emma Blaine had eight kills on a .353 hitting percentage to contribute to the match. The Trojans recorded 59 kills and 66 digs in the match, their highest all season.  

The Eagles took the first two sets quickly, gaining a lead and not giving it back. Troy won the third set with the help of a 10-5 run to take control.  

Butler recorded six kills and eight digs in the third set, as the Trojans hit their best percentage of the match at .292. The fourth set was the most competitive, with eight ties and four lead changes, but a late run sealed the match for the Eagles.  

The Trojans battled again on Saturday, but came up short to the Eagles in another four-set match. Freshman Brooke Forkum gave an impressive performance in Saturday’s match, recording nine kills and 11 digs.  

Butler led the team with 14 kills, nine digs and two aces, but it wasn’t enough as the Trojans had 32 attack errors in the match and were outblocked by the Eagles 18-5.  

Lauer saw improvement in the team but felt it just wasn’t their night on the court.  

“I thought our effort was good tonight,” Lauer said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump tonight. 

“It’s really the first time we’ve been that error prone during the season. This is the first time we’ve had to address that many unforced errors.” 

Troy failed to find its offensive rhythm, opening the match with a .032 hitting percentage in the first set and finishing at only .090. 

The opening set was close, but Georgia Southern pulled away late with eight kills to take the set. Troy came back to outhit the Eagles and take the second set 25-23. 

The third and fourth set belonged to the Eagles, as they had as much as a 10-point lead and had eight blocks in the fourth set alone to take the match 3-1 for the second night in a row.  

Troy continues Sun Belt Conference action on the road in Lafayette, Louisiana on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. against the Ragin’ Cajuns.