Box Score

TROY, Ala. – Blair Winston and Symone Shaw each posted 13 kills to lead Troy to a 3-1 (13-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-22) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over Georgia Southern Wednesday night in Troy Arena.

It was the first Sun Belt match for the Eagles, who spent the last 22 seasons as members of the Southern Conference.

Jamie DeRatt led Georgia Southern with 19 kills to go along with nine digs, and Kym Coley tallied 13 kills and two blocks. Cathrine Murray added 10 kills and six digs, and Kat Minnerly finished with 46 assists, six digs and a block.

Ali Dowdall finished with a match-high 20 digs for Troy, and Tineille Waggoner posted 39 assists, six digs and four blocks. Darby Griff added 12 kills.

Down 2-1 in the match and with the score tied 20-20 in the fourth set, Georgia Southern (0-10, 0-1) appeared to take the lead as Minnerly set the ball off the net with one hand and Coley hammered it down. After much deliberation between the up and down officials, it was ruled that Troy's block touched Minnerly's set, and a back row touch was called, giving the point to the Trojans (9-4, 1-0).

The Eagles scored the next two points to take a brief 22-21 lead, but the Trojans capped the set and the match with four straight points. Shaw had a kill and a solo block during the run, and Kiah Cheatham combined with Marija Zelenovic for a block.

Leading the first set 11-9, the Eagles scored six straight points to take control. Bernetta Moore served five points during the run and capped it with an ace, and Georgia Southern pushed the margin to 20-11. Leading 23-13, Minnerly dumped the ball over the net for set point, and DeRatt finished it with an ace.

"We came out strong in the first set, the offense was clicking, and then we went into a lull the rest of the match running the offense and attacking," said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. "It's something we can learn from for Friday. We need to have everyone play well each night."

Troy took control of the second set with an 8-2 run that opened a 14-8 cushion. The margin grew to as many as eight points at 20-12. The Eagles battled back and cut the lead to three points late, but with Troy leading 24-21, Blair Winston put down a kill to tie the match 1-1.

The Trojans ran off three straight points early in the third set and had a five-point working margin for most of the frame. The Eagles cut the lead to 14-11, but Troy used a 5-2 run, capped by a Cheatham kill, to keep the Eagles at bay. Georgia Southern made a last push as Coley got a kill, and Erin Dobbeck followed with an ace to make the score 24-21, but Griff ended the set with a kill.

Georgia Southern plays its first Sun Belt Conference home match Friday, Sept. 19, against a familiar foe. The Eagles will take on undefeated Appalachian State at 6 p.m. at Statesboro High School. Georgia Southern students get in free with a student ID. Admission for the general public is $5 for adults and $3 for youth, ages 12-and-under. 

Georgia Southern plays host to Arkansas State Sunday, Sept. 21, at noon at Statesboro High, and admission is free for all fans. The matches this weekend will also be the Eagles' first at home this season.

"We're looking forward to coming home and playing in front of our home crowd," said Wood.

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