Box Score
TROY, Ala. – Three different Mean Green players with double-doubles paced the North Texas volleyball team to a crucial 3-1 road win over Troy on Saturday afternoon (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 28-26).
Shelley Morton (19 kills, 17 digs) Kayla Saey (57 assists, 14 digs) and Eboni Godfrey (16 kills, 16 digs) helped the Mean Green (14-13, 5-6 Sun Belt West) win its second straight conference road match. NT entered the weekend a half match behind ULM and UALR for the final spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, but picked an opportune time to have possibly its best weekend of the year.
The Mean Green knocked off South Alabama on Friday night before taking down the Trojans (14-9, 4-5 Sun Belt East).
Libero Sarah Willey was excellent on the Mean Green back line. The senior posted a match-high 29 digs, which upped her average to 7.43 digs per set for the weekend.
The Mean Green faced set-point at 24-22 in the opening set, but posted a set-winning rally behind Kendall Whiston’s serve. Whiston knocked the Trojans on their heels with her serve, opening the foor for Shelley Morton and Melanie Boykins kills. Whiston served an ace to seal the set for the Mean Green.
The match marks the first time this year that North Texas landed a lower attack percentage than its opponents and still managed the win. The Mean Green hit .174 to the Trojans’ .202, but a 68-55 NT edge in kills was the difference.
In the fourth frame, a Melanie Boykins kill tied the set at 25 apiece, and a pair of kills from Morton closed the match at 28-26.
North Texas will take on the league’s best in Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky next Friday and Sunday.
