Troy University Women's Volleyball

  The Lauer File Personal Information Birthday May 1 Hometown York, Pa. Education Washington Universirty – St. Louis, 1999 (Bachelor) Wife Debra Children Eli and Jonah  Coaching History 2017-Pres. Troy - Head Coach 2011-16 Georgia - Associate Head Coach  2008-10 Alabama - Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator 2004-08 Mo.- St. Louis - Head Coach 2000-2008 St. Louis CYC Volleyball Club - Head Coach Josh Lauer is in his 10th season as the Troy volleyball head coach and entered 2026 with a 130-129 record. Lauer is the sixth head coach in Troy University’s Division I volleyball history.  In 2025, the Trojans earned a win in the Sun Belt Tournament, defeating Marshall in the first round. Troy finished with 10 wins, including seven in Sun Belt play, and went 6-4 inside Trojan Arena. Amiah Butler’s selection to the All-Sun Belt First Team marked the eighth consecutive season a Trojan has earned all-conference honors. She finished the year with 460 kills, while her 4.55 kills per set ranked second in the Sun Belt and 19th nationally. The 2024 season saw the Trojans finish with an overall record of 13-14, highlighted by an 8-3 mark inside Trojan Arena.  Senior Tori Hester concluded one of the greatest careers in Troy Volleyball history, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in kills with 1,767. She also set the single-season record for kills per set at 5.10.  Hester was named Sun Belt Player of the Year, becoming the first Trojan to receive the honor. She was also selected as the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.  In 2023, the Trojans had its best conference season in program history as it had a record 12 wins in Sun Belt play to secure second place in the West Division. Troy started 10-0 against its conference opponents. Finishing the season at 15-13, it was Troy’s fifth consecutive season with a winning record, the first time that mark has been achieved in the program’s history.  In the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament, Troy defeated App State in a 3-0 sweep before falling in five sets to James Madison, the eventual conference tournament champions.  Tori Hester and Julia Brooks earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors, while Janelle Stuempfig was named All-Sun Belt Second Team. It was the sixth straight season that at least one Troy player has earned All-Conference nods.  Following the season, Brooks signed a professional deal with Esmoriz GC in Portugal.  The 2022 season saw the Trojans post an 18-13 record. In conference play, the Trojans went 11-5, which was good for third overall in the Sun Belt and at the time was a program record for conference wins in a season.  Amara Anderson and Hester were selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team and Brooks was tabbed to the All-Sun Belt Second Team.  The Trojans defeated Arkansas State 3-2 in the Sun Belt Tournament Quarterfinals before falling in five sets to JMU Troy made it’s third consecutive appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, as they hosted UT-Martin in the first round. It marked just the second time in program history hosting a postseason match. In 2021 Troy knocked off three power five opponents for the first time in program history (Alabama, LSU, Virginia Tech). The Trojans made their second postseason appearance under Lauer last season when Troy hosted and competed in the NIVC, defeating Middle Tennessee in the first round.   Lauer led the Trojans to a 23-10 record and one of the best seasons in program history in 2019. The Trojans earned their first-ever postseason berth – a trip to the NIVC – where they became the first Troy women’s team to win a postseason competition in the Division I era. Troy’s +12 win differential from 2018 to 2019 was the sixth-best turnaround in Division I that season.   Lauer’s efforts on and off the court turned Trojan arena into a formidable place to play volleyball with a 14-1 home record. At one point during the season Troy owned the seventh-longest home winning streak in the nation.   Under his leadership, two Trojans were tabbed all-conference performers in the same season for the first time since 2012. Prior to the 2018 season, Troy signed the best recruiting class in school history by bringing in eight extremely talented freshman to the program. PrepVolleyball.com, the nation’s foremost volleyball news website, ranked the class in the “High Honorable Mention” category in its listing of the top Division I classes of 2018 – one of just three Sun Belt teams on the list.   In his first season at the helm, the Trojans reached the Sun Belt Conference Tournament where they knocked out rival South Alabama in a first-round upset.    Lauer joined the Troy staff after spending the past nine seasons as an associate head coach and assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference. Most recently, Lauer spent the past six years as the associate head coach at Georgia after a three-year stint at Alabama as an assistant coach and the Crimson Tide’s recruiting coordinator.   While at Georgia, Lauer’s primary in-game focus was the Bulldogs’ defense and they would go on to lead the SEC in blocks with 285 and blocks per set with 2.39 in 2014. Lauer also guided the team to an NCAA Tournament in 2013, the first for the Bulldogs since 2004. That year, Georgia also put together its first 20-win since 2002 and recorded the most wins in a season since 1994.   Individually, the program had five SEC Player of the Week and two All-SEC honors. Off the court, Georgia had 25 SEC Academic Honor Roll members, eight SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll selections, a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and four SEC Community Service Team picks during his tenure.   In his stint at Alabama, he helped the Crimson Tide land their first top-30 recruiting class and a trio of high school All-Americans in 2010.   Prior to his time in Tuscaloosa, Lauer spent four seasons as the head coach at Missouri-St. Louis. He took the Tritons from the bottom of the conference to consecutive berths in the Grand Lakes Valley Conference tournament in 2006 and 2007 before joining the Crimson Tide staff in 2008.   Lauer's squads collected numerous team and individual accolades including the American Volleyball Coaches Association Academic Award, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Sportsmanship Award, one ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Third Team honoree and several all-conference and academic all-conference selections.   Lauer's coaching career began at the club level where he spent eight years with the St. Louis CYC Volleyball Club. He had three top-five national finishes in the open division at the United States Junior Olympic Volleyball National Tournament and two additional top 20 finishes. More than 20 of Lauer's club team players were recruited and played at the NCAA Division I level.   A native of York, Pa., Lauer is a 1999 graduate of Washington University - St. Louis where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry with a minor in religious studies. He is married to the former Debra Reckase. They have two children, Eli and Jonah. Year School Record Conf. Record Conf. Finish Postseason 2025 Troy 10-16 7-9 4th (West)  SBC Quarterfinals 2024 Troy 13-14 8-8 4th (West) SBC First Round 2023 Troy 15-13 12-4 2nd (West) SBC Semifinals 2022 Troy 18-13 11-5 3rd (West) SBC Semifinals/NIVC First Round 2021 Troy 18-13 9-7 4th (East) SBC Quarterfinals/NIVC Second Round 2020 Troy 11-9 10-6 2nd (East) SBC Semifinals 2019 Troy 23-10 10-6 3rd (East) SBC Semifinals/NIVC Second Round 2018 Troy 11-19 5-11 4th (East) SBC First Round  2017 Troy 11-22 4-12 5th (East) SBC Quartefinals Troy Totals 130-129 (.502) 76-68 (.527) 2007 Mo.-St. Louis 14-19 10-9 3rd (West) GLVC First Round 2006 Mo.-St. Louis 11-18 8-8 7th  GLVC First Round 2005 Mo.-St. Louis  6-22 6-10 2004 Mo.-St. Louis 9-17 4-12 Mo.-St. Louis Totals 40-76 (.345) 28-39 (.418) Career Totals 170-205 (.453) 104-107 (.492)

  The Muesenfechter File Personal Information Hometown St. Louis, Mo.  Education Lewis, 2011 (Bachelor)  Missouri Baptist, 2014 (Masters) Coaching History 2017-Pres. Troy - Associate Head Coach 2014-16 Georgia - Volunteer Assistant Coach  2011-13 Missouri Baptist - Graduate Assistant Brian Muesenfechter is in his ninth season as an assistant coach at Troy. With the Trojans, Muesenfechter leads skill and technical training for all position groups, as well as working with the offense and recruiting efforts. In 2019, Troy saw its best offensive output in the modern 25-point rally era under Muesenfechter’s direction. In 2025, the Trojans earned a win in the Sun Belt Tournament, defeating Marshall in the first round. Troy finished with 10 wins, including seven in Sun Belt play, and went 6-4 inside Trojan Arena. Amiah Butler’s selection to the All-Sun Belt First Team marked the eighth consecutive season a Trojan has earned all-conference honors. She finished the year with 460 kills, while her 4.55 kills per set ranked second in the Sun Belt and 19th nationally. The 2024 season saw the Trojans finish with an overall record of 13-14, highlighted by an 8-3 mark inside Trojan Arena.  Senior Tori Hester concluded one of the greatest careers in Troy Volleyball history, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in kills with 1,767. She also set the single-season record for kills per set at 5.10.  Hester was named Sun Belt Player of the Year, becoming the first Trojan to receive the honor. She was also selected as the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. Her spot on the All-Sun Belt First Team marked the seventh consecutive season that the Trojans have had at least one All-Conference selection.  Muesenfechter helped coach the Trojans to its best conference season in program history in 2023, as it had a record 12 wins in Sun Belt play to secure second place in the West Division. Troy started 10-0 against its conference opponents. Finishing the season at 15-13, it was Troy’s fifth consecutive season with a winning record, the first time that mark has been achieved in the program’s history. The 2022 season saw the Trojans post an 18-13 record. In conference play, the Trojans went 11-5, which was good for third overall in the Sun Belt and at the time was a program record for conference wins in a season. In 2021 Troy knocked off three power five opponents for the first time in program history (Alabama, LSU, Virginia Tech). In 2019, the Trojans had a 23-10 record and one of the best seasons in program history. The Trojans earned their first-ever postseason berth – a trip to the NIVC – where they became the first Troy women’s team to win a postseason competition in the Division I era. Troy’s +12 win differential from 2018 to 2019 was the sixth-best turnaround in Division I that season. Prior to Troy, Muesenfechter spent three seasons as the volunteer assistant coach at Georgia. As a graduate assistant at Missouri Baptist, Muesenfechter’s responsibilities included planning practice, developing scouting reports, recruiting and budgeting for team travel. During his tenure, he helped lead the team to a 17-win season and No. 3 national ranking in 2012 after winning just eight matches in 2011. In 2013, MBU finished with an 18-8 recorded before reaching 20 wins in 2014. Muesenfechter also coached two players to NAIA All-America status. Additionally, he coordinated men’s and women’s summer camps for Missouri Baptist. Muesenfechter also spent time at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri. As the assistant coach for the varsity team, he helped lead the team to a runner-up finish at the Missouri State Volleyball Championship in 2013. He also helped two players earn all-metro honors in 2013. As a club coach for High Performance St. Louis Volleyball Club, Muesenfechter helped the 18 Gold Team to qualify for Junior Nationals. From 2012-13, he served as the head coach for the 18U Navy Team, where he coached five players who went on to play collegiately. A four-year starter (2008-11) for Lewis University, Muesenfechter served as the captain in 2011 before being voted the most valuable player by his teammates. He was named the defensive player of the week in 2011. As a player, he helped Lewis to a top-15 ranking in each of his four years and three 20 or more win seasons. In 2008, Muesenfechter played for the United States Junior National Team, which placed third at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation qualifier in El Salvador. Prior to his collegiate playing experience, Muesenfechter played for the High Performance St. Louis Volleyball Club from 2003-2007. His time with High Performance culminated with a national championship in 2007. While playing for High Performance, he was named an All-American and was a Fab 50 Selection in 2007. Muesenfechter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lewis in 2011 before earning his M.B.A. from Missouri Baptist in 2014.

Casey Cepicky enters her first year as a Graduate Assistant with the Troy Volleyball program in 2022 after spending five seasons playing for the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles as setter. During her time at USI, she earned two second-team All-GLVC awards, earned GLVC offensive and defensive player of the week awards, and finished third in overall assists. She is the only player in the history of USI to have over 3,000 assists and over 1,000 digs.  During her playing career, she has developed in coaching through assisting High Performance STL volleyball club teams and giving private lessons: 15 Orange (2021), 17 Orange (2021-2022), and 18 Royal (2021-2022). Volleyball has been a part of my life for so long, I just knew I could not let it go after retiring. I knew the next step was helping develop younger players and getting them to see their full potential. During her first year at Troy, she worked individually with each setter training technique, while assisting in other areas such as offense and blocking.