TROY, Alabama – The Troy volleyball team swept Southern Miss, 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-21), in the Trojans’ home opener on Monday in front of a good Trojan Arena crowd.
Troy (4-1) picked up its third sweep of the young season and won a Labor Day afternoon home opener for the second straight season. The Trojans committed just 12 attack errors and recorded 9.0 total team blocks in the match.
“I don’t think we came out and played as well as we did last weekend, but it’s a great win,” head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. “We had a great crowd. The crowd was phenomenal. It was very close to last year in the conference tournament and I couldn’t be more thankful for the folks that spent their holiday with us.”
Blair Winston recorded a team-high 12 kills for the Trojans with just two errors for a .323 attack percentage. Marija Zelenovic posted a .333 attack percentage with nine kills and just one error. Tineille Waggoner recorded 28 assists as she led the Troy offense to a .236 attack percentage.
Troy held a previously unbeaten Southern Miss team (3-1) to a .129 attack percentage, thanks in large part of the 9.0 blocks. Quinci Hayward had 12 kills for the Golden Eagles, but also 10 errors and a .059 attack percentage.
Darby Griff led the Trojans with five total blocks while Zelenovic had four. Ali Dowdall led all players with 16 digs.
The win avenges a three-set loss at Southern Miss a season ago for the Trojans.
Troy came out of the locker room swinging and posted a .379 attack percentage in the first set with just two errors on its way to a 25-19 win. The Trojans then fought off a set point in the second as Southern Miss led 24-22 before Troy scored five of six to win the set 27-25.
The Trojans carried the momentum into the third set and took an early 11-4 lead. The Golden Eagles closed the gap and eventually tied the score at 21-21 before Troy scored four straight to take final set, 25-21, and the match, 3-0.
Troy now turns its attention to the Trojan Invitational, which will begin on Thursday afternoon inside Trojan Arena. There will be two matches on Thursday and four on Friday as Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State and Mercer visit Troy. The Trojans’ first match will be on Thursday at 7 p.m. when they host Mercer.
For more information on Troy Athletics and a full Trojan Invitational schedule, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube by searching for Troy Athletics.