Volleyball splits series with ULM

Troy volleyball split another two-match series last weekend on the road against the ULM Warhawks.  

The Trojans had a rough start in the first match on Thursday as they fell in four sets.  

Amiah Butler finished the match with 24 kills, hitting .354 and adding 15 digs to collect another double-double on the season. Setter Madison Marx posted an outstanding effort with 29 assists and fell one dig short of a double-double. Olivia Kwiatkowski tied her career-high in digs with 13 on the match. 

Brady Fitch photo

Kayla Baetzel prepares to serve against Georgia Southern

This victory for ULM was their first Sun Belt Conference win of the season, with 21 kills from Warhawk Amelia Piekut and 18 digs from Briana Raney contributing to the win. 

"It was a really tough, disappointing loss tonight,” said head coach Josh Lauer. “ULM took advantage of our inconsistency and played a good match. 

“We need to be a lot more aggressive and consistent. We are looking forward to another competitive match tomorrow."  

Friday’s match was a different story for the Trojans as they bounced back after Friday to sweep the Warhawks. 

The Trojans stayed on top of the match as they never trailed in any set on Fridayand limited ULM to a -.024 hitting percentage.  

Kalina Calvillo led the Trojans with 10 kills on .350 hitting percentage, and Marx managed the fourth double-double of her career with 23 assists and 11 digs. Sydney Austin led Troy with 11.5 points.  

Set one featured one of only two times the score would be tied, with teams trading the first four points. The Trojans then took an 11-5 lead and did not look back as they won the set with a 10-point lead, 25-15.Austin posted two aces and two blocks to finish the first frame. 

The second set was the closest of the match, as the Warhawks used a three-point scoring run to cut Troy’s lead to five late in the set. However, the Trojans took the last six points to secure the second set, 25-19.Marx gained six of her 11 digs throughout the set.  

Troy had its best performance in the third set, hitting .485 as a team. Calvillo drove the success, hitting .667 with five kills to help the Trojans complete the sweep. Marx and Jordan Sinness helped the offense with nine and six assists, respectively.   

"It was a great competitive response from our entire team today,” Lauer said. “We were really consistent in all phases of the game.” 

The Trojans return to Trojan Arena for two matches against Southern Miss on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Saturday’s match will serve as Senior Day, with the team set to honor its six seniors.