Volleyball loses seventh straight

Troy volleyball extended its current losing streak to seven games, losing its first two conference matches at home by a score of 0-3 each.

The first of those matches, a contest against visiting Texas State, saw the Trojans (6-11, 0-2 Sun Belt) struggle to slow the visitors’ offensive attack.

In the conference opener against the Bobcats (9-8, 2-0 Sun Belt), Troy fell prey to 8-0 and 11-3 runs in the first set, which set the tone for the entire match.

The Trojans had no answer for Texas State’s attack, which recorded 40 kills and a hit percentage of .302. That offensive attack took down Troy in three straight sets 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17.

For the Bobcats, senior outside hitter Shelby Vas Matt was the clear leader, racking up 11 kills, six digs and a personal hit percentage of .308. On the other side of the net, seniors Leah Causey and Sara Landis each had six kills, with Landis adding a pair of blocks to her stats sheet.

Troy’s match against UT Arlington played out much the same as the one two days before.

After falling behind 0-1 with an 25-11 loss in the first set, Troy looked like it might be able to steal a set from the Mavericks (8-9, 2-0 Sun Belt). Its efforts proved fruitless, after UTA put together a 6-1 run, closing out the set and grinding out the win.

The third set wasn’t nearly as close as the second, as the Mavericks ran away in a 25-12 win. Sophomore middle blocker Zhanelle Geathers propelled UT Arlington to that win, recording four kills in the set.

Geathers led the Mavericks offensively, posting seven kills and a .455 hit percentage.

For Troy, Causey again put up good numbers, recording six kills and a pair of digs.

The Trojans will try for the elusive win when they travel to Atlanta to take on conference opponent Georgia State. Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30.