TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Troy volleyball swept ULM Saturday inside Trojan Arena, 3-0.
The Trojans have won five out the six Sun Belt matches they’ve had, with two of the three conference series so far being sweeps. Third year middle hitter Ashlynn Axtell said the winning has been a continuing goal they’ve had since the beginning of the year.
“We’re trying to stack as many as we can,” Axtell said. “This has put us at the top of the conference, which is something that has been a big goal for us this year.”
“Being able to stack these two big wins on top of another really good weekend last weekend just creates a lot of confidence and momentum going into the next two games next weekend.”
While the offense may have not had the success Saturday like it’s had this season, the Trojans found their mark through aces, with 12 coming in the match, tying a season high mark. Leading Troy from the service line was Kalina Cavillo, who had a career-high six aces.
TROJAN SPORTS: Troy Dominates Southern Miss for Sixth Straight Victory in Series
The defense also performed well, limiting ULM to a .065 hitting percentage as the Trojans had 5 blocks and 43 digs. Head coach Josh Lauer said the strong performance from the service line allowed Troy to attack defensively in the match.
“When that serve is tough, it just makes our defensive effort a little easier,” Lauer said. “We know where the ball’s going, we’re maybe going to get an easier attack, and that allows us to be more efficient in the transition on the attack side of it. It really sets the tone for our defense and it was dynamite all weekend long.”
While Troy has seen a lot of success this season with six match sweeps and now two series sweeps, Lauer doesn’t want all the focus to be on positives when there are aspects of the team that still need to be fixed.
“A lot of people have said it, it’s rat poison,” Lauer said. “We got a lot of work to do. Our serving was elite, our passing was elite, our offense was average.
“What we’re focused on is this week get better at that so that we can be prepared to be our best.”
The Trojans now move to 10-5 on the season and sit tied for first in the Sun Belt West. Troy will head on the road for its next matchup as the Trojans finish off the Pelican State teams with Louisiana Tech this Friday and Saturday.
