Championship Central | Box Scores: Match 3 | Match 4
 
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A pair of Friday night five-set thrillers headlined the second day at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Championship as No. 4 Troy and No. 7 UTA earned victories by identical 3-2 scored to advance to the semifinals against the top two seeds.
 
The championship continues on Saturday, Nov. 23 with two semifinal matchups as No. 1 Texas State plays host to the Trojans at 2:30 p.m. CT and No. 2 Coastal Carolina squares off against the Mavericks at 5 p.m. CT. The remaining matches are set for live coverage on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Live statistics are available on SunBeltSports.org.
 
Match 3 - No. 4 Troy 3, No. 8 Arkansas State 2
Arkansas State and Troy engaged in a spirited five-set affair that saw the Trojans battle back for a 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 13-25, 25-21, 19-17) win.
 
Troy is back in the semifinals for the first time since 2012 and the second time in school history. In 2012 as the eighth seed, the Trojans were one step away from the tournament title match before falling to fourth-seeded UTA 3-2.
 
In this quarterfinal matchup, big performances propelled Troy to victory. Sophomore defensive specialist Lacey Jeffcoat recorded a career-high 29 digs. Five Trojans finished with double-digit kills for the second-straight match, paced by two double-doubles from freshman outside hitter Ashley Guenveur (15 kills, 12 digs) and junior outside hitter Cheyenne Hayes (13 kills, 15 digs).
 
Down 2-1, Troy battled for a tough win in the fourth game to force a fifth set. The Trojans staved off match point at 14-10 to even the score at 14-14. A 4-1 Troy run to close the set was the difference as the Trojans recorded their 22nd win of the season, the third-most single-season wins in school history and the most since 1995 (27-11).
 
Match 4 - No. 7 UTA 3, No. 3 South Alabama 2
The nightcap did not disappoint as No. 7 UTA outlasted No. 3 South Alabama, also in a 3-2 win (24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 28-30, 15-10).
 
UTA advances to the semifinals for the fourth time (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019) on the strength of the tournament's best performance through two days from senior outside hitter Kylie Jedlicka with 24 kills and 21 digs. The Mavericks also had a couple of 30-assist performances from sophomore setter Kylee Kapp (31) and freshman setter Jessica Stancliff (30).
 
After an extended fourth set that went in favor of South Alabama, UTA came out strong and took an 8-4 lead to open the final set. The Jaguars rallied get with two at 12-10. The Mavericks responded once again with three-straight points to close out the match.
 
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE
2019 SUN BELT VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, November 23
Match 5 - No. 4 Troy at No. 1 Texas State (ESPN+), 2:30 p.m.
Match 6 - No. 7 UTA vs. No. 2 Coastal Carolina (ESPN+), 5 p.m.
 
Sunday, November 24
Match 7 - Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
 
All Times are Central and Subject to Change