COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 2, 2017) – Murphy Troy made the most of his time with USA Volleyball.
He traveled the high performance pipeline and made it to the top: A spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team and an Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro. Then he announced his retirement in early 2017.
“It was a long process of making that decision,” Troy, 28, said. “It’s something that I wouldn’t necessarily say I had been thinking about for a while.
“After five years (with the U.S. National Team), I decided I completed that part of the journey and decided I wanted to start a new one back in the U.S., getting married and starting a family and doing the things I had given up.”
Troy began playing volleyball in 1999 in St. Louis, Mo.
By 2006, he made the Boys Youth National Team and helped it win NORCECA silver. He was named captain of the 2007 Youth National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championship. He was also captain of the 2008-09 Men’s Junior National Teams that competed internationally.
He competed for USC (while majoring in physics) from 2007-11 and was named the 2011 NCAA Men’s Division I-II Player of the Year his senior season.
He joined the U.S. Men’s National Team that summer and competed at the World University Games and the Pan American Cup. He competed in the Pan American Cup again in 2012 and was brought up to the senior team in 2013.
During the winters he competed for professional club teams in Italy and Poland.
In 2016, he was named to the U.S. Olympic Team and won the bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro. Troy said the experience in Rio “probably has the top 10 moments of those five years.
“I look back and think about how much that process changed me as a person and how it affected my life in a positive way,” he said. “Making the Olympic team was definitely a highlight. The roller coaster journey at the Olympics is something I will never forget.”
What advice would he give to his younger self?
“Never lose confidence and stick with it,” he said. “Every athlete in their career encounters a healthy amount of doubt, especially when you are by yourself in a foreign country. I was fortunate to have good situations and be surrounded by good people.
“Keep the confidence. Keep the belief and it will all be OK.”
Troy and his wife Blair live in Southern California where he is working for a software company.
ITALY
Middle blocker Max Holt and Azimut Modena continue to roll through the Serie A season and are undefeated at 5-0.
On Oct. 29, Modena beat Wixo LPR Piacenza, 25-15, 25-19, 25-23. Holt scored 10 points on four kills, a match-high four blocks and two aces. On Nov. 1, Modena defeated Calzedonia Verona and outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke, 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20. Holt scored eight points on seven kills and one ace. Jaeschke scored 11 points on 11 kills.
Outside hitter Aaron Russell, setter James Shaw and Sir Safety Conad Perugia are also undefeated at 5-0. On Oct. 29, they beat Revivre Milano, including middle blocker Taylor Averill, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23. Russell led his team with 18 points on 12 kills, one block and a match-high five aces. Shaw played as a substitute. Averill scored five points on five kills.
On Nov. 1, Perugia beat Gi Group Monza with setter Kawika Shoji and outside hitter Jake Langlois, 25-21, 25-16, 25-11. Russell scored 11 points on 10 kills and one block. Shaw played as a substitute and scored two points. Shoji started all three sets but did not score. Langlois played as a substitute and score one point.
Setter Micah Christenson, outside hitter Taylor Sander and Cucine Lube Civitanova suffered their first loss of the season on Oct. 29 when they fell to libero Erik Shoji and Taiwan Excellence Latina, 25-21, 25-22, 28-26. Shoji was credited with 20 receptions, 70 percent positive. Sander started the first two sets and scored seven point on six kills and one block. Christenson scored two points on two blocks.
Civitanova came back on Nov. 1 with a 25-22, 30-28, 29-27 victory over Diatec Trentino. Sander was named match MVP as he led his team with 17 points on 15 kills and two blocks. He was also credited with 29 receptions, 55 percent positive. Christenson scored four points on three kills and one block and set his team to a .393 hitting efficiency.
On Nov. 29, Jaeschke was named match MVP as he led Calzedonia Verona over Kioene Padova, 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 27-29, 15-12. Jaeschke led all scorers with 20 points on 15 kills, three blocks and two aces. He was credited with 28 receptions, 39 percent positive.
Opposite Ben Patch and Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia beat Kawika Shoji, Langlois and Gi Group Monza, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21. Patch scored 14 points on 11 kills, two blocks and one ace. Shoji scored four points on a match-high three aces and a kill. Langlois played as a substitute.
On Nov. 1, Valentia defeated BCC Castellana Grotte, 25-27, 20-25, 26-24, 25-21, 16-14. Patch started the first, second and fourth sets and scored nine points on seven kills and two blocks.
POLAND
Middle blocker David Smith scored 10 points on eight kills, one block and one ace as his team, Aluron Virtu Warta Zawiercie fell to Cuprum Lubin, 25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-12 on Oct. 28.
Libero Dustin Watten was credited with 27 receptions, 63 percent positive as his team Cerrad Czarni Radom fell to PGE Skra Belchatow, 21-25, 18-25, 25-210, 25-21, 15-12 on Oct. 27.
Setter Jonah Seif started the final two sets and scored five points on two kills and three blocks as his team, MKS Bedzin, fell to Espadon Szczecin, 15-25, 28-26, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 on Oct. 28.
RUSSIA
Outside hitter Matt Anderson and Zenit Kazan continue undefeated in Russia. On Oct. 26, Kazan beat Yenixey Krasnoyarsk, 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24. Anderson scored 12 points on 10 kills and two blocks.
FRANCE
Middle blocker Mitch Stahl scored 10 points on eight kills, one block and one ace as Paris beat Tours, 17-25, 31-29, 25-22, 30-28 on Oct. 28.
GERMANY
Outside hitter Kyle Russell and the Berlin Recycling Volleys beat TV Rottenburg, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 on Nov. 1. Russell played as a substitute and scored three points on three kills.