McMath, Longley Lead Mountaineers to First 2017 Victory
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Appalachian State University volleyball earned its first victory of the 2017 season in a 3-1 match (27-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) over UNC Wilmington on Saturday night.

"We had been playing hard the first two matches so it was nice to get challenged again by a really good Wilmington team," said head coach Matt Ginipro. "Melissa McMath did an awesome job on the right and I thought everybody played great - the energy was high tonight."

The Mountaineers got the win behind stellar performances from McMath and Emma Longley. McMath finished with 18 kills while Longley tallied 17. Kara Spicer and Lexi Kohut rounded out the App State attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

Ashlyn Brown racked up 45 assists and had 19 digs - good for her third double-double of the season. Olivia Loeffer led the Mountaineers with 33 digs while Sydney Farthing also had double-digit digs with 11.

Down 16-9 in the first set, the Apps would use a 9-0 run to take the lead from the Seahawks and go up 18-16. The Mountaineers would trade points with Wilmington for the rest of the set until taking the set on back-to-back Seahawk errors, 27-25.

Wilmington seemed to try and sway the momentum back in its favor and got out to a 9-4 lead in the second set. Again, Appalachian would answer and steal the lead from the Seahawks, 14-13. Unlike the first set, App State would pull away and go up by as many as six points to take set two and a 2-0 advantage going into the break.

Appalachian would get out to a quick start in the third set and snag a 16-11 lead before Wilmington executed its own 9-0 run. The Seahawks would eventually force a fourth set on back-to-back kills by Madison Peters.

In the fourth set, multiple kills by McMath and Longley gave App State its largest lead of the night by seven points, 19-12. Appalachian maintained the lead for much of the set before Wilmington tied it up at 23, but back-to-back kills by Spicer secured App State's first victory of 2017.

The Mountaineers will play once more this weekend in a morning match tomorrow against Loyola (Md.) at 10:00 a.m.

Mavs Power Past Houston To Win UTA Invite
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Zhanelle Geathers recorded her second straight double-double and set a new career high with 23 kills to lead UTA volleyball to a five-set win (16-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-20, 15-11) over Houston to claim the title of the UTA Invitational Tournament, on Saturday night at College Park Center.

UTA (3-0) cruised through the UTA Invitational Tournament under first-year coach J.T. Wenger, earning three-set sweeps vs. Southern and McNeese and the five-set thriller vs. Houston. Wenger has led the Mavs to its first 3-0 start since 2013, with UTA earning its second straight victory over Houston (1-2).

LEADING THE MAVS
A native of Lindale, Texas, Geathers starred during the weekend to help the Mavs to the three wins.

"Z did a great job today," Wenger said. "Playing high and not dragging the ball down, which is something we've been talking about and she is showing that. That is what we ask of our athletes and she's improved. Her passing was fantastic, especially in the fifth, taking a big chunk of court. Doing a nice job of holding up the service game. It was a great effort."

The 6-foot-3 preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection totaled 23 kills, a .340 attacking percentage, with 11 digs. It marked her second straight, and second career double-double. In three games, Geathers has 40 kills, 4.00 kills per set, 2.9 digs per set and .50 blocks per set, hitting at a .280 clip.

"It is crazy going from a middle to the right side and now going back," Geathers said. "I was hoping for it but I wasn't expecting it and then J.T. gave me the offer, I was ready. I always thought I could play back row, but when the time came it worked out."

UTA also got a double-double from Qiana Canete, who collected 12 kills, three assists and 16 digs. Freshman setter Kailyn Gilbreath set a new career high with 43 assists, adding five kills in 10 swings and eight digs, while sophomore setter Haley Higgins finished with eight assists. Sophomores Kylie Jedlicka and Madison McConnell provided big swings throughout, with Jedlicka setting a career high with a match-high 18 digs, adding eight kills. McConnell finished with 12 kills - on 19 swings - adding four digs and three blocks. Sophomore UTA setter Madelyn St. Germain charted a kill, two assists, two service aces and 16 digs.

NEXT
UTA returns to action on Friday, traveling to face host Belmont in the Bruins Invitational Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. The Mavs will face the Bruins at 11:30 a.m. CT on Friday and then face Middle Tennessee State at 3 p.m.

FIRST GAME
Houston opened up strong with a 4-0 run to start the match before UTA got on the board with a kill from Madison McConnell. That sparked a 4-2 run for the Mavs to get within two but Houston answered with an 8- 0 run that built its lead to 15-4. UTA then went on a 7-2 run to cut the Houston lead to 17-11 but the Cougars scored three straight to build a nine-point advantage. After UTA notched two straight points, Houston answered with a trio of its own. UTA then got kills from Kylie Jedlicka and Zhanelle Geathers and a service ace from Haley Higgins to force a UH timeout, trailing 23-16. UH finished off the set with the next two points for a 25-16 win.

SECOND GAME
The teams alternated points to take the set to 5-5, before Houston built a lead with a 3-0 run. UTA stopped the run with a kill from Canete, cutting the lead to 8-6, with an attack error on UH cutting it to 8-7. After dropping a point, UTA went on a 4-0 run and a 7-1 run overall to take a 13-11 lead. Houston answered to force a UTA timeout with the Cougs leading 14-13. The Mavs finished off the set with a 12-2 run to rally from behind, including a 5-0 run to take a 23-21 lead. The teams traded points to get to UTA to a 24-23 lead, before Kailyn Gilbreath snuck a kill over the net for the 25-23 win.

THIRD GAME
After UTA opened the set with the first two points, Houston took a 3-2 lead with three unanswered. UTA's 3-0 run gave the Mavs a 5-3 lead and after Houston's evened it with back-to-back points, Geathers hammered home a kill for a 6-5 lead. The teams then traded points before UTA stretched its lead to 10-6 and forced a Houston timeout following a Jedlicka kill. The Mavs and the Cougs traded points to reach 13-10, before UTA closed out the set with a 12-4 run, finished by a Geathers kill.

FOURTH GAME
The fourth set saw each team score to open, before Houston went on a 2-0 run for a 3-1 lead. The teams then traded points with UTA trailing 15-16 as the Mavs couldn't put together a run on consecutive points with UH getting three of 2-0 runs to build its lead. After a 3-0 run by UH the Mavs called timeout, trailing 18-15. Houston took the lead to 20-16 before the Mavs cut the lead to three. A 4-0 UTA run saw the Houston lead narrowed to 20-19 but the Cougs went on a 5-1 run to close out the match.

FIFTH GAME
After UTA started the scoring, Houston answered with a pair of 2-0 runs to take a 4-2 lead. The teams traded points before UTA went on a crucial 5-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. Following a UH timeout, Brianna Lynch cut the UTA lead to 8-6 with a kill but UTA got it back after a service error. Leading 9-6, UTA closed out the final stanza on a 6-4 run to clinch the 15-11 win.

UTA INVITE STANDINGS
UTA (3-0, 9-2 sets)
McNeese (2-1, 6-5 sets)
Houston (1-2, 7-6 sets)
Southern (0-3, 0-9 sets)

All-Tournament Team
Vaterra Calais, S, Jr. (Southern)
Brianna Lynch, OH, Sr. (Houston)
Keegan Nelms, OH, So. (McNeese)
Jenny D'Alessandro, MB, Sr. (McNeese)
Qiana Canete, OH, Sr. (UTA)
Zhanelle Geathers, MB, R-Jr. (UTA)
Madison McConnell, OH/MB, So. (UTA)

Trojans Fall to Southern Miss in Five Sets
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After taking the first two sets of the match, Little Rock volleyball came up short as Southern Miss took the final three sets to win 3-2 (26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 25-27, 6-15) on Saturday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum.

Freshman Mya Robinson led the Trojans (1-2) with a season-high 15 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. Her kill total was the most by a Trojan freshman since Edina Begic in 2011. Marina Avram tallied her first double-double of the season with 13 kills, 13 digs and two aces. Veronica Marin hit a match-high .500 with 12 kills on 24 attempts. She also put up a match-high six blocks (three solos and three assisted). Maritza Mesa led Little Rock with four aces while coming up one kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. Taylor Lindberg racked up 52 assists, three kills, seven digs and three block assists.

For her efforts throughout the invitational, Marin was named to the All-Tournament team. She ended the weekend with 30 kills (2.50 per set), a .444 hitting percentage and 18 total blocks (seven solo and 11 assisted) at a rate of 1.50 per set.

Catherine Respher led the Golden Eagles (2-1) with 18 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Sarah Bell tallied 54 assists while Kylie Grandy served up five aces. Defensively, Natalie Druhan had 25 digs and Respher added three blocks.

The Trojans put together a magnificent comeback win in the first set to take a 1-0 lead for the match. Down 18-10, Little Rock scored 16 of the last 22 points in the frame. As Southern Miss took set point at 24-22, the Trojans responded with four consecutive points to win the set. Little Rock had the advantage in hitting (.355-.222) and total blocks (4-0). Mesa and Marin each put down four kills while Marin added three blocks. Lindberg racked up 11 assists for the frame.

Little Rock and Southern Miss remained within three points of each other for the entirety of the second set. The Trojans took set point at 24-21, but the Golden Eagles weren't going down without a fight as they scored back-to-back points to get within one. Southern Miss's comeback was short-lived as a kill by Marin put the set away and gave Little Rock a 2-0 lead. The Trojans once again outhit the Golden Eagles (.303-.235) as Avram put down five kills while Lindberg tallied 14 assists. Defensively, Martin scooped up six digs, and Marin added two blocks.

Southern Miss took the third set after leading for the majority of the frame. Little Rock's largest deficit was six points at 16-10, but the Trojans battled back to tie the set at 23. Back-to-back kills by the Golden Eagles' Respher and Coombs gave Southern Miss its first set win. Robinson led the Trojans with five kills while Lindberg added 11 more assists. Like the second set, Martin dug up another six digs.

Little Rock was up by as much as six points in the fourth set until the Southern Miss closed the gap at 15-all. With the Trojans up 23-20, the Golden Eagles put together a four-point run to take set point. Both sides exchanged blows until Southern Miss took the frame with back-to-back points. Robinson led the Trojans with four kills while Lindberg added another 11 assists.

With two consecutive set wins under its belt, Southern Miss carried the momentum into the fifth set and took the frame by nine points to win the match.

Daisha Gillard put down seven kills and put up three block assists. Jovana Cernjanski had three digs and one service ace.

Little Rock will return to action on Thursday night at Central Arkansas as part of the UCA Invitational.

@AStateVB Drops Match to No. 23 Utah
LEXINGTON, Ky. (8/26/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball team battled the first two sets, but couldn’t get over the hump in a 3-0 (24-26, 23-25, 20-25) setback to No. 23 Utah in both teams’ final match of the Bluegrass Battle at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.

The first set began as a back-and-forth affair with the Utes (2-1) taking a 13-12 advantage before a 4-0 run, finished with a kill by Carlisa May, put A-State (1-2) on top 16-13. However, Utah rallied and led late 24-22 before kills from Drew Jones and May knotted things up 24-24. The Utes used a timeout and were able to earn the final two points for a 26-24 game one victory.

The Red Wolves opened set two with an 11-9 advantage after a block by Peyton Uhlenhake and May, but a 9-2 run by Utah set the score at 18-13 to force a timeout by Arkansas State. However, A-State battled back with a 9-3 rally to claim a 22-21 edge on an ace by Ellie Watkins. The lead was short-lived as Utah won four of the next five points to win the set 25-23.

A-State ran out to a 10-7 lead in set three before Utah came back to tie the set at 16-16. The Utes then went on a 5-1 run to create some separation at 21-17 before the Red Wolves battled back to within two at 22-20 on a kill by Watkins. However, the Utes rattled off three straight kills to thwart any idea of an A-State comeback and clinch a 25-20 set three win for the sweep.

“I was proud of the effort today against a really talented team in Utah,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “We played pretty well for most of the match, but we just couldn’t finish, especially in those first two sets. That said, if we play the way we did today, we will be ok against most other teams. We’re ready to get back to work, keep improving, and see what happens Tuesday.”

May led the Red Wolves with 15 kills, while Jones added eight of her own. Watkins dished out 30 assists, had seven kills on a .636 attacking percentage, and also had a team-best two service aces. Tatum Ticknor led the defense with 16 digs, while May and Jessica Uke led the team with three blocks. Utah was led by Adora Anae’s 12 kills and hit .346 to A-State’s .273 for the match.

Arkansas State travels to Carbondale, Ill., for a nonconference match against Southern Illinois Tuesday night. First serve from SIU Arena is set for 7 p.m.

FGCU Tops Volleyball 3-0 in Weekend Finale
FT. MYERS, Fla. – Courtney Vanliew posted 13 kills and a pair of blocks, and host FGCU hit .381 for the match to earn a 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-16) volleyball win over Georgia Southern Saturday morning at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

Anna Wenger notched 10 kills and hit .500 for Georgia Southern (1-2), while Megan Chevalier and Cathrine Murray each finished with five kills. Joscelin Morrow had 11 digs.

Vanliew hit .500 for FGCU (2-0) and was one of three Eagles with double-figure kills. Daniele Serrano had 11 kills, and Amanda Carroll added 11 kills and seven digs.

The story
The FGCU serving game kept Georgia Southern on its heels throughout the match. FGCU tallied five aces and held GS to .114 hitting for the match and under .100 in the second and third sets.

FGCU used a 9-1 run to break a 7-7 tie and take control of the first frame as Vanliew and Carroll each posted three kills during the stretch. A 7-2 spurt early in the second sparked FGCU to a 2-0 lead in the match, and an 8-1 run pushed a two point FGCU advantage to 21-12 in the third.

Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"We played really well at times, especially in the first set. They are a really good team. They put a lot of pressure on us, which created more opportunities for them. They made a run on us in the middle of the set, and if you take that run out, we are pushing to win that set."

"We passed okay today but failed to repair balls again. We have some work to do at the setting position. We are inconsistent right now and not putting our hitters in good positions to score."

"Anna played well and made the most of her opportunities, but we needed to get her the ball more."

"We learned so much from the weekend. Obviously, we wanted the Ws as the result, but we know what we need to work on to get the results. It was a tough competition, and we will be better from it and make those changes."

Next up
The Eagles host the first of two tournaments in Hanner Fieldhouse each of the next two weekends. GS plays its home opener Friday at 7 p.m. against North Florida. The Eagles also host Bethune-Cookman (10 a.m.) and Charlotte (7 p.m.) Saturday.

PANTHERS DROP DOUBLEHEADER
GREENVILLE, NC- Georgia State dropped both matches of a doubleheader Saturday. The losses came at the hands of East Carolina and William & Mary. Georgia State collected a 1-2 record in the ECU Invitational.

The Panthers fell in the first match of the day to tournament host ECU. Georgia State dropped the match in straight sets by scores of 19-25, 17-25, and 25-27. Celeste Friesen totaled 22 digs in the match, and freshman Jha’Meisheia Griffin added five kills for Georgia State.

In the second match of the day GSU was bested by William & Mary three sets to one. The Panthers dropped the first two sets, (16-25, 22-25), before rallying to take the third set. The Tribe would battle back to take set four and close out the match. Sydney Stroud led the way for GSU with 11 kills in the match.

“The first weekend of play shows both your strengths and weaknesses, along with how fast you can make adjustments” said Panther head coach Sally Polhamus. “We had some great positives this weekend and we look forward to getting back into the gym this weekend and look to keep growing.”

Georgia State is back in tournament action next week. The team will travel to Birmingham for the Blazer Invitational. The Panthers will take on UAB, Austin Peay, and Charleston Southern in the tournament.

Chants Fall in Three at TCU
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team fell in three sets (24-26, 24-26, 25-27) at TCU Saturday evening to close out the Cowtown Classic.

The loss evens Coastal's record to 1-1 overall as it wraps up the first weekend of the regular season.

Despite the sweep it was a close match as the Horned Frogs needed extra points to close out each set.

Leah Hardeman recorded her second consecutive double-double of the weekend with 11 kills and 19 digs, leading the Chants in both categories.

Kyla Manning followed with nine kills, and Larissa Dos Santos added six with a team-best .455 hitting percentage.

The three sets featured a total of 10 lead changes and 19 ties as the two sides battle closely for control.

The Chants trailed by five points late in the first set after TCU took a 22-17 lead, but managed to even the game at 24-24. TCU's Allye Beth Deaton then put down a pair of kills to put the Horned Frogs in front, 1-0.

Another late TCU lead was erased in the second set as kills by Manning and Dora Lulic, along with a TCU error, put the Chants in front 23-22. Following a timeout, however, the Horned Frogs rallied to overtake Coastal and win the set by another slim 26-24 margin.

Coastal appeared to be on the verge of winning of the third set after leading 23-20, but TCU again used a late surge to string together a 6-2 run to close out the match.

The Chants are back in action next weekend for a trio of matches at Iowa. Coastal opens against Indiana State on Friday at 11 a.m. ET, and returns to the court later that night for an 8 p.m. ET match against Iowa. The weekend concludes with a second match against the Hawkeyes at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Warhawks Fall in Straight Sets to Arkansas, 3-0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Louisiana Monroe volleyball team slipped to 0-2 on the season, falling in straight sets Saturday to host Arkansas, 3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-13), in its second match of the Arkansas Classic at Barnhill Arena.

As a team, Arkansas hit .366 (41-11-82), while ULM hit only .014 (14-13-74) for the match. Razorback fifth-year senior middle blocker Pilar Victoria produced a match-high 19 kills while hitting .692 with only one attack error. Junior Kelly O'Brien and freshman Elizabeth Pamphile combined for 14 kills and no errors.

ULM red-shirt sophomore Catherine Griffith hit a team-best .429 (3-0-7), while juniors Tara Jenkins and Allie Kemp combined for 14 digs (seven each).

Arkansas finished the first set with an 11-2 run, as Victoria recorded eight of her 19 kills in the opening frame. The Razorbacks opened the third set with a 9-0 run, with Pamphile at the service line.

“We knew Arkansas was a good serving team, and it proved that to be correct,” ULM head coach Patrick Hiltz said. “When we were able to pass, we had some good moments. We looked relaxed early in the first set and then things got away from us in serve receive. Nothing works without a pass. We need some players to step up and commit to being lock-down serve receive players for us. Our opposite position is up for grabs. Anna (Lechner) did a good job late of taking care of the ball as a hitter, which was nice to see.

“Our block was better, but we still need to address it in practice next week.

“I feel like if we pass better, then we'll be in a place to be more competitive mentally when we play later today.”

The Warhawks wrap-up tournament action against Cal State Bakersfield at 5 p.m.

JAG VOLLEYBALL DROPS PAIR OF MATCHES AT TULANE TO OPEN SEASON
NEW ORLEANS – The University of South Alabama volleyball team dropped a pair of matches against Tulane Saturday at Hertz Center to open the 2017 season.

USA (0-2) fell to Tulane (3-1) in five sets (25-16, 13-25, 25-22, 18-25, 7-15) in the first match of the day. The Green Wave defeated the Jaguars in straight sets (28-30, 16-25, 22-25) in the final match of the afternoon. South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts the Jaguar Invitatiional at Jag Gym, beginning with a 6 p.m. match against Alabama on Fri., Sept. 1.

GAME FACTS
Match 1 – Box Score (PDF)
Tulane 3, South Alabama 2 (25-16, 13-25, 25-22, 18-25, 7-15)
- USA jumped out to a 13-8 lead and took the opening set 25-16 following a pair of attack errors by Tulane's Hannah Shaw, the first of which forced set point at 24-16. But Tulane responded to even the match with a 25-13 win in set two.
- The Jags battled back to tie the score at 18-18 in set three following a kill by Katelyn Lochner, and later took a 21-19 lead after a Tulane attack error and kills by Kelley Hartman and Kristina Alabastro. USA then took set three 25-22 after a Green Wave attack error and a kill by Iva Durdanovic on set point.
- Tulane forced a fifth and deciding set after a 25-18 win in set four. The Green Wave scored the final three points of the fourth set on a pair of kills by Alexis Silver and a Jaguar attack error.
- The Green Wave took a 10-6 lead in the fifth set after a pair of back-to-back Jaguar attack errors. Tulane later forced match point at 14-7 following a kill by Hannah Shaw, and clinched the match on a kill by Kristen Thompson.
- Alabastro recorded a double-double in the first match, finishing with 10 kills and a career-high 16 digs. Durdanovic turned in a team-high 13 kills along with three total blocks. Lochner tied her career high in kills (9), while Kelley Hartman finished with eight kills, one dig and eight total blocks, including two solo blocks. Arissa Chappell recorded 16 digs along with two service aces and one assist, and Abby Baker added 10 digs, three assists and one service ace. Parker Harrell and Ashlyn Roberts finished with 19 assists apiece to lead the team along with two service aces each.

Match 2 – Box Score (PDF)
Tulane 3, South Alabama 0 (28-30, 16-25, 22-25)
- Tulane scored six straight points late in the first set to tie the score at 23-23, but a kill by Hartman on a set from Roberts gave the Jags set point at 24-23. USA kept the set alive when freshman Meaghan Jones recorded a kill to tie the score 25-25, and Symone Stephenson answered with a kill with the Jags facing another set point to tie the score at 26-26. Durdanovic recorded a kill, following a Green Wave point, to knot the score at 27-27. A Jaguar service error gave Tulane another set point at 28-27, but Durdanovic responded with a kill to tie the score at 28. Tulane clinched the first set 30-28 following an attack error by Durdanovic and a kill from Lexie Douglas.
- The Green Wave scored four of the final five points of set two, highlighted by a pair of kills from Meghan Doyle to clinch the set 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Tulane clinched the match with a 25-22 win in set three to extend its winning streak to 11 games over USA.
- Durdanovic led the Jags with 10 kills and a .375 hitting percentage in the match, while also recording four digs and one block assist. Roberts finished with 16 assists, and Harrell added 14. Baker recorded 12 digs, one assist and one service ace, and Hartman finished with five kills, one dig and five total blocks.

NOTES
- Durdanovic finished with double-figure kill totals in both matches, while Alabastro recorded the first double-double (10 kills, 16 digs) of the season in the first match.
- South Alabama fell to 27-6 all-time against Tulane.
- The Jaguars finished with 23 total blocks and 15 service aces in two matches on Saturday.

QUOTES
Head Coach Amy Hendrichovsky
- On setting up matches with Tulane after leaving Houston due to Hurricane Harvey:
"As a coach, you spend a lot of time in the offseason scheduling. We had our first weekend scheduled, and adversity and things out of our control were thrown our way. We wanted to get on the court and play against another team so we could see what we needed to work on going into next weekend. I felt if we lost this weekend and didn't play then it would put us behind. Tulane also had a tournament canceled in San Antonio (Texas), so we scheduled it."

- On Tulane:
"They were a very good team for us to play. It wasn't who I initially scheduled for us matchup-wise, but it really good for us to play them this weekend. We got some really good volleyball out of it."

- On how the team responded to the change in scheduling:
"The first couple of matches, it really comes down to getting your group on the court and seeing how your offensive and defensive system works against another team. We saw that when we were able to execute it; our offensive and defensive systems were successful, it was just about making adjustments throughout the sets – especially at the end of sets. But we know what we need to work on going into next weekend, which is a good feeling whereas if we weren't able to play we wouldn't know that going into next weekend."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts the Jaguar Invitational at Jag Gym. USA will host Alabama at 6 p.m. Fri., Sept. 1, and will face McNeese State at 12:30 p.m. and Southern Mississippi at 6:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 2.

Troy Volleyball Wraps-Up Gamecock Invitational
COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The Troy volleyball team dropped in its final day of the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina. In the first match of the day, Troy (0-3) fell to South Carolina (2-0) in three sets 25-18, 25-20 and 25-22 and lost to Mercer 3-1, 25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23.

South Carolina 3, Troy 0
While The Trojans outperformed the Gamecocks in total kills, aces, assists and digs, they couldn't find timely answers to keep the Gamecocks at bay.

The South Carolina offense hit .310 and held the Trojans to a .202 attack percentage. Senior Lauren Long led the Trojans with nine kills on 14 total attacks earning a .500 hitting percentage. Sophomore Belle Waldrop had another solid game for Troy as she posted eight kills. Defensively, Savannah Moore put up four total blocks followed by newcomer Jenni Young with three.

Troy get off to an early lead against the Gamecocks in all three sets, but couldn't maintain control of the tempo as strong offensive efforts propelled South Carolina over the Trojans.

With South Carolina one point away from the win, the Trojans fought back to win three straight points, but a kill from South Carolina junior Jesse Turner ended the match in favor of the Gamecocks.

Mercer 3, Troy 1
Facing a one-set deficit, the Trojans struck back in set two to even the match at 1-1. Troy continued to find answers to Mercer's offense and took advantage of the momentum swing as three straight points put them up 15-11. The Bears tried to force their way back into the set late, but an ace from Kiara Barrett and two kills gave Troy the second set.

Both teams rallied back and forth in the third set, but four straight points from Mercer in the middle of the set put the Trojans down 17-12. Each team battled at the end of the set, but Mercer took the win as the Trojans looked for a fourth set victory to force a fifth set.

Three back-to-back kills from Mercer's Paige Alsten put the Bears up 15-13, but the Trojans rallied back to even things at 16-16 and even took a lead late in the set. Even at 20-20, the Trojans called timeout, but just couldn't break through Mercer's relentless offense as the Bears earned the fourth set and match victory.

Freshman Cheyenne Hayes had her best performance so far as a Trojan as she contributed 10 kills, 14 points and four aces.

NOTEWORTHY
Troy posted 10 aces against Mercer as Hayes led with four and Bethany Cullity and Kiara Barrett each had two.
Senior assists leader Reina Terry made her first appearance of the year playing in three sets for the Trojans.
Waldrop is averaging 3.08 kills per set to lead the team and has 37 kills in 85 total attacks.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will travel south to Kennesaw State for a Sunday match set for 1 p.m. CT. The Owls are coming off of an 18-11 season and 12-2 in ASUN conference play. KSU won its first ever regular season ASUN championship in 2016.

Troy looks to earn a series lead against Kennesaw State as the series is tied at 2-2. Troy last faced the Owls in 2012 when they fell 3-1.

Senior Katarina Morton was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year last season and earned the preseason honor this year. The Owls return 13 players from last year's championship squad including five starters.