Troy Volleyball Edges South Alabama in Thrilling Five-Set Victory

“Tonight was Sun Belt volleyball at some of its best,” head coach Josh Lauer said after Troy volleyball secured a thrilling five-set victory over South Alabama on Friday night at Trojan Arena.

In front of a rowdy home crowd and returning Trojan alumni, Troy improved to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in the Sun Belt Conference with a 17-25, 25-16, 15-25, 25-20, 15-10 win. The victory marks the team’s best conference record at this point in the season since 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBuQjtcg5VE&rel=0&showinfo=0&html5=true

South Alabama Blocks Limit Troy Hitting Percentages

South Alabama entered the match with aggressive defense, ultimately collecting 19 total blocks over the course of the night. Dalayla Blackwell anchored the Jaguar net defense with 13 blocks, including one solo effort, while freshman Anabelle Cerny handed out 40 assists and Eva Dittmar contributed a career-high 20 kills.

The visiting Jaguars capitalized on early Trojan hitting struggles in the first and third sets. South Alabama held Troy to a .059 hitting percentage in the opener and followed up by restricting the hosts to .026 in the third frame to grab a 2-1 match lead.

Troy responded in the second set by firing off an electric .536 hitting percentage, never trailing in the frame behind five kills apiece from Ashlynn Axtell and Kalina Calvillo. When South Alabama pushed the match to a fifth set, the Trojans locked down defensively, holding the Jaguars to a -.045 hitting percentage in the final frame.

Four Trojans Reach Double-Digit Kills in Five-Set Battle

Four different Trojans reached double-digit kills in the five-set battle, marking only the second time this season Troy has achieved that statistical depth. Olivia Kwiatkowski led the attack with her first double-double of the season, posting 14 kills and 11 digs, alongside double-digit contributions from Isa Ruether, Kalina Calvillo, and Ashlynn Axtell.

Volleyball vs South Alabama – TROY TrojanVision News

“Everyone was getting involved which I think really helped us get momentum back when we were down,” Ashlynn Axtell said.

From the service line, five different players recorded at least one ace for the Trojans. Calvillo tallied a match-high four aces, while a crucial service ace from Madison Marx helped seal the fourth set.

Closing Out the Fifth Set

The decisive fifth set featured four ties and three lead changes. After Troy grabbed an early 6-2 advantage, South Alabama answered to take an 8-7 lead. Knotted at 10-10 late in the match, the Trojans rattled off five consecutive points to secure the win.

VB: Troy 3, South Alabama 2

Sophie Ocampo came through in the clutch during the final frame, logging three of her six total kills down the stretch to put Troy back in the win column.

Road Ahead in Conference Play

Troy now looks toward its final three series of the season with the Sun Belt tournament approaching. The Trojans travel to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State in a weekend series starting Friday at 6 p.m. and continuing Saturday at 1 p.m., with both matches scheduled to stream live on ESPN+.