MOBILE, Ala. - The Trojans took a huge step towards qualifying for the Sun Belt Tournament as they defeated South Alabama, 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22), on the road on Friday night.

The win was only the second road win of the season for the Trojans (12-16, 7-8), but fortunately it marked their last road match of 2009. The victory also marks head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick's 50^th at the helm of the Trojans.

“We played really well,” Kirkpatrick said, “We served aggressively and played good defense.  That’s what really put us over the top.”

Troy was led on the night by Meghan Gilroy who posted 18 kills and a .283 attack percentage. Kayla Giles and Devin Von Pingel each posted 10 kills for the Trojans. Megan Henderson set up the Trojan attack with 39 assists.

Defensively, Lizzie Clough led the Trojans with 12 digs. Giles also posted double digits with 11. Gilroy led the Trojans at the net defensively, recording six total blocks.

The first set was a close one throughout. The largest lead by either team came at the end of the set with South Alabama (11-17, 2-13) winning 25-21. The set started with Troy going up 5-4. At that point, the Jags scored four straight to go ahead 8-5. The Trojans remained behind by three at 15-12 before they scored four straight to take a 16-15 lead. The two sides traded points until they were tied up at 20-20. At that point South Alabama took four of five to take set one.

Troy was led in the first set by Von Pingel who posted four kill on just six attempts. Henderson recorded 10 of her assists in the first set.

In the second set, the two sides found themselves tied early at 6-6. That is when the Jags scored four straight to take a 10-6 lead. With the Jags still out front 11-8, the Trojans went on their first big run, this one behind Strader's serve. Troy scored six straight to go ahead 14-11. That run proved to be enough as the Trojans built on their lead and closed out the second set, 25-19.

The Trojans hit .345 in the second set, compared to their .054 attack percentage in the first. Gilroy paced Troy in second, posting five kills with just one error. She also recorded two blocks in the second set.

The Jaguars got out to an early lead in the third set going ahead, 5-1. The Trojans got things back within two at 5-3, and they remained down by two until they tied things up at 9-9. At that point, South Alabama took five of eight to go ahead 14-12. It was then that Trojans went on their second big run, this time behind the serve of Vicky Rogoschewsky. The Trojans scored nine straight to gain a seven point lead at 21-14. Troy went on to close out the set, 25-16.

The Trojans were led in the third set by three Rogoschewsky service aces. She also had four digs as did Clough. Gilroy posted four kills with just one error.

Troy picked up where they left off, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead in the fourth set. However, the Jaguars didn't go away. Trailing 9-5, they scored eight of nine to go ahead of the Trojans 13-10, forcing Troy to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Trojans squashed the South Alabama run, scoring four of five to tie things up at 14-14.

The two sides traded points and found themselves tied seven different times between 14-14 and 22-22. South Alabama took a timeout after Troy gained a 23-22 lead. The Trojans then took the next two to clinch the fourth set, 25-22, and the match 3-1.

“This was a great way to start the end of our conference season,” Kirkpatrick said. “Hopefully we can come out and play like this next weekend as well.”

The Trojans will be back in action in a week when they host Western Kentucky at Trojan Arena. First serve for that match against the Lady Toppers on November 13 is set for 7 p.m. Check back with TroyTrojans.com for more news and notes from the volleyball court, as well as all of Troy Athletics.