TROY, Ala. — Troy volleyball fell to South Carolina in four sets (17-25, 16-25, 25-23, 19-25) inside the Carolina VB Center on Sunday.
Troy (2-2) found offensive spark from first-year outside hitter Isa Ruether, who tallied double-digit (10) kills for the first time in her young collegiate career. The reigning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week Kalina Calvillo picked up where she left off last weekend, notching a season-high 16 kills on .256 (16/5/43) hitting.
For South Carolina (4-1), Olivia Borgman made her presence felt, posting 17 kills on .424 (17/3/33) hitting. The Gamecocks, who entered Sunday's contest ranked 18th in the country in blocks per set with three per game, out-blocked the Trojans 13-5.
Set 1 — Troy 17, South Carolina 25
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The opening set featured a tight-knit contest through the first 20 points. The Trojans and Gamecocks were tied at 11 apiece before South Carolina outscored Troy 14-6 to capture the first frame. Despite dropping the set, Calvillo made her presence felt early, recording five of her 16 kills in the first.
Set 2 — Troy 16, South Carolina 25
Another close set saw the Trojans keep within striking distance the majority of the way. South Carolina jumped out to an 11-7 advantage, forcing a Troy timeout, and would not surrender the lead.
Set 3 — Troy 25, South Carolina 23
The Trojans bounced back and grabbed a competitive third set over the Gamecocks. Olivia Kwiatkowski posted five kills, and Calvillo added her fifth of the set to seal the victory for Troy.
Set 4 — Troy 19, South Carolina 25
South Carolina took control early with a 3-2 lead, maintaining the advantage the rest of the way. The Trojans attempted to mount a rally behind Ruether, who tallied five of her 10 kills in the final set, but ultimately fell short.
Quotable — head coach Josh Lauer
"It was a hard-fought match today against a very well-coached South Carolina team," head coach Josh Lauer said. "We had some stretches of good aggressive play and this week we will be working to make that aggressive play more consistent."
Notables
- Isa Ruether recorded a career-best 10 kills on .218 (10/4/28) hitting to pair with her career high in attack attempts (28).
- Ashlynn Axtell posted nine kills on a career-high 23 attack attempts.
- Josie Hensley notched a career-best 10 digs.
- Troy fell to 0-5 against South Carolina all time.
- The Trojans, who entered Sunday's contest ranked third in the nation in aces per set at 2.78, tallied five aces across four sets against the Gamecocks.
Up next
The Trojans head to Gainesville, Fla., where they will take on the FAU Owls on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m., followed by the Florida Gators on Sunday, Sept. 13 at noon.
