TROY, Ala. — Troy volleyball opened Sun Belt Conference play with a gritty four-set win (25-20, 18-25, 26-24, 25-23), as the Trojans topped Louisiana on Friday night inside Trojan Arena.
Troy (6-4, 1-0) extended its winning streak to four matches, securing its first conference-opening victory since 2024 with a sweep over South Alabama. Kalina Calvillo delivered a standout performance, tying her career high of 19 kills on 55 attacks (.236 hitting percentage). Isa Ruether added 10 kills against the Ragin' Cajuns, marking her fifth career double-digit kill match and her first in conference play.
Five Trojans recorded double-digit digs for the first time this season in a strong defensive showing. Kayla Baetzel led the team with 14 digs off the bench, and Madison Marx logged Troy's second double-double of the year with 22 assists and 11 digs.
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Louisiana (5-9, 0-1) found its offensive spark through Arkansas transfer Lolo Lambert, who racked up a match-high 22 kills while hitting .267 (22/6/60). Both teams were disruptive at the net, combining for 21 total blocks.
Set 1 — Troy 25, Louisiana 20
The opening frame set the tone for a battle, featuring nine ties and five lead changes across four highly competitive sets. Kalina Calvillo came out firing, putting down seven of Troy's 17 first-set kills. After being tied at 11-11, the Trojans broke away with a scoring run to put the opening set out of reach for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Set 2 — Troy 18, Louisiana 25
Louisiana tied the match at one set apiece, using five blocks in the second set to limit Troy to nine kills and a .065 hitting percentage. The Trojans erased a 10-4 deficit with a 6-0 run, but the Ragin' Cajuns weathered the rally to seal the set.
Set 3 — Troy 26, Louisiana 24
Olivia Kwiatkowski took control in a tightly contested third set, filling the stat sheet with her third service ace, three digs, an assist and five kills, including the set-point clincher. Troy held a 15-13 edge at the media break before pushing to an 18-15 lead to force a Louisiana timeout. Despite a late push from the Ragin' Cajuns, the Trojans held firm to reclaim the lead in the match.
Set 4 — Troy 25, Louisiana 23
An all-around team effort sealed the victory for Troy, anchored by a five-block defensive stand in the final set. Kalina Calvillo proved to be the ultimate difference-maker, dropping two service aces before sealing the match with her career-high-tying 19th kill. Leading by just a single point at the media timeout, the Trojans stayed resilient down the stretch to clinch their conference opener win.
Quotable — head coach Josh Lauer
"Great gritty win tonight, that was a really fun Sun Belt match with two teams really battling it out and competing very hard," Lauer said. "A knock-out, drag-out kind of a match is what we expected and was ultimately what we got. I was really proud of our team late in the third set and all the way through the fourth set. I thought we started to get into a better rhythm, and we were more aggressive play after play, which I thought was the big difference maker in the match."
Notables
- Kayla Baetzel had a career-high 14 digs.
- Kalina Calvillo tied her career high with 19 kills on a career-most 55 attempts, while also matching her personal bests in total blocks and block assists with four each.
- Calvillo has reached the 19-kill mark three times in her career, with two of them coming against the Ragin' Cajuns.
- Brooke Forkum had seven kills on a career-best .467 hitting percentage (7/0/15).
- Josie Hensley had a career-high 21 assists.
- Isa Ruether set new career highs with 39 attacks and four digs.
- Troy won its first conference season opener since the 2024 season.
Up next
The Trojans return to action in Trojan Arena tomorrow afternoon as they square off against Louisiana starting at 2 p.m. The match will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
