Bobcats Sweep Zags To Open Weekend Action

No member of the Bulldogs was able to reach double-digit kills. Sarah Penner was the closest, finishing with nine.

Tempe, Ariz. – The Texas State volleyball team took down Gonzaga 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) Friday afternoon on the first day of the 2018 Sparky Classic Presented by DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe.

The Bobcats improved to 7-5 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 3-6.

True freshman Emily DeWalt led TXST with a double-double featuring 32 assists and 11 digs. Senior Amy Pflughaupt tallied 13 kills on a .370 attack percentage, and junior Cheyenne Huskey chipped in nine digs and eight kills to the winning cause.

No member of the Bulldogs was able to reach double-digit kills. Sarah Penner was the closest, finishing with nine. Jenna Kuehn had 19 assists, and Tiyana Hallums posted a match-high 21 digs.

The Bobcats led in kills (42-33), attack percentage (.279-.129), assists (39-33), aces (2-1), and digs (49-42). Gonzaga led in blocks, 5-4.

SET 1

Gonzaga went ahead 3-0 and remained on top 8-5 to start the match, but it was all Bobcats from that point on as the maroon and gold won the opener 25-18. Texas State outscored Gonzaga 18-6 over the next 24 points to snatch a 23-14 lead, and the team traded tallies over the remaining moments to close out the period. 

SET 2

The second set was a tighter affair, but Texas State was able to find the crucial points late to win the frame 25-23. The Bobcats initially jumped out to a 9-4 advantage and remained on top until Gonzaga played back into a 15-15 draw. The Zags took their lone lead at 16-15, but that was quickly erased thanks to a 5-1 TXST run. The Bulldogs got to within one point on five separate occasions but were never able to move back into a tie. 

SET 3

The third and final set was all Texas State. The Bobcats raced out to a 10-3 lead and did not allow Gonzaga to get any closer than five points. That came at 15-10, but TXST outscored the Zags 10-5 the rest of the way to polish off the sweep. Senior Madison Daigle played just the third and was a force off the bench, finishing with six kills and just one error on 11 swings for a .455 percentage.

The contest was the second meeting between the schools in history. The only other matchup was a 3-0 Gonzaga triumph way back in 1989.

Texas State will wrap up weekend action at the Sparky Classic with a pair of matches on Sept. 15. The Bobcats will face Northern Arizona at 11:30 a.m. before facing host Arizona State at 9 p.m.