TROY, Ala. – Julia Brooks notched 24 kills and four blocks, and Cheyenne Hayes added 21 kills and 11 digs to lead Troy to a 3-2 (26-24, 25-22, 15-25, 24-26, 17-15) Sun Belt volleyball win over Georgia Southern Friday night in Trojan Arena.

Eagles of the Match 
Baylor Bumford led the Eagles (12-5, 5-2) with 16 kills and added six blocks, while Mya Wilson and Chamblee Russell each recorded 10 kills. Ashlyn Lovett collected a match-high 27 digs, and Grace Slader finished with 39 assists, eight digs, four kills and four blocks.

Key Moments
The Eagles led 13-11 in the fifth set following a Troy (11-7, 4-3) service error. Brooks notched a kill for the Trojans, and the Eagles hit two consecutive balls out of bounds, setting up match point for Troy at 14-13. Georgia Southern fought off two match points before an Eagle service error set up another match point at 16-15, and Hayes put down a ball off the Eagle block to finish the match.

Leading the match 2-1, Troy fought off a set point in the fourth on a Tori Hester kill, but Russell put down a kill for the Eagles and a Troy attack sailed past the end line, tying the match. The Eagles trailed 24-21 in the first set before winning three straight points and tying the score on a Troy hitting error. Brooks halted the run with a kill and was in on a block for two straight points as Troy opened a 1-0 lead in the match.

Stat of the Match
Troy had 21 more kills than the Eagles and took 46 more swings. Georgia Southern outblocked the Trojans 19-8 with Wilson getting five and Megan Vickery contributing six. The contest saw 52 ties and 17 lead changes, including 13 ties and six lead changes in the fifth set. 

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"It was another tough battle tonight. I really liked the effort and fight to stay the course—especially after being down 0-2 to come back and force that fifth set. Our block and defense did a great job applying pressure and extending rallies. We had our opportunities in the deciding set; we just couldn't shut the door—definitely some teachable moments that we can learn from and lean into moving forward."

Next up
The Eagles travel to Mobile to take on South Alabama Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.