Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Football, Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis & Cross Country

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Bobcat Football, Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis & Cross Country

Bobcats Fall to Warhawks 24-14

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State football team (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) saw its two-game winning streak come to an end Thursday night at Bobcat Stadium 24-14 at the hands of ULM (3-3, 2-0 Sun Belt).

The Bobcat defense held the Warhawks to their second fewest point total this season (20 at Iowa State; Sept. 21).

BOX SCORE

• Junior quarterback Gresch Jensen completed 16-of-30 passes for 170 yards without throwing a pick or touchdown.
• Sophomore quarterback Tyler Vitt was 3-for-8 throwing for 72 yards, an interception and one score.
• Sophomore running back Caleb Twyford recorded three rushes of 20-plus yards with a game long of 27 in the first quarter. He finished with a team-high 78 yards on 10 carries, all coming in the first half.
• Freshman running back Calvin Hill scored from three yards out to put Texas State on the scoreboard with 9:03 left in the second quarter. He ran for 10 yards on the previous play on his first career carry.
• Sophomore wide receiver Javen Banks hauled in a 37-yard pass on third down during the third quarter, the longest play of the game for the Bobcats.
• Sophomore wide receiver Trevis Graham, Jr. hauled in a game-high 69 yards.
• Catching a team-high three passes apiece were Jeremiah Haydel, Hutch White and Twyford.
• Senior defensive back JaShon Waddy intercepted a pass with 5:01 left in the first quarter. It is his second straight game with an interception. Was the third pick of his career.
• Senior linebacker Bryan London II led the defense with 11 tackles, six of which were solo takedowns.
• Senior defensive back Anthony J. Taylor recorded two of the team’s three pass breakups.

KEY MOMENTS

• ULM muffed a punt that rolled into the end zone with 5:09 left in the first quarter. The Warhawk returner fell on the ball for a touchback to prevent a safety or touchdown for the Bobcats.
• Jensen converted a 4th-and-1 from his own 16 on a quarterback sneak to keep TXST’s first scoring driving going in the second quarter.
• TXST attempted a fake punt with 8:22. O’Kelly completed the pass to senior defensive end Kumonde Hines but was tackled short of the first-down marker.
• Sophomore defensive lineman Nico Ezidore caused a fumble that was recovered by senior linebacker Clifton Lewis Jr. and returned to the TXST 38.
• Immediately after the fumble recovery and on his first play of the game, sophomore quarterback Tyler Vitt found sophomore wide receiver Trevis Graham Jr. for a 62-yard pick and catch touchdown. It is Graham’s second touchdown reception of the season.Vitt was nearly sacked for a safety but escaped multiple defenders for a 25-yard gain to his own 34 while facing third down in the fourth quarter.
• Texas State defense was drawn offside on 4th-and-1 deep in their own territory. Two plays later, the Warhawks scored on an 11-yard run by Austin Vaughn to seal the game.

NOTABLES

• ULM opened the game with a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that lasted 2:45. Josh Johnson ran it in from a yard out for the opening score. The Bobcats are 0-2 when allowing opponents get on the scoreboard first.
• Freshmen punt set a new career-long on back-to-back punts in the first quarter. He recorded a 57-yard boot and followed with 59-yard punt. Both ended up in the end zone for touchbacks.
• London recorded his 400th career tackle nearly midway through the fourth quarter. He is the active career leader in tackles in the FBS. London is the third Bobcat to reach the mark, joining Brad Fulks (441; 1985-88) and Greg Pitts (447; 1999-02).

QUOTES FROM THE SIDELINE
~ “It felt like today was very up and down,” head coach Jake Spavital said. “I though the defense played well enough for us to win, but we made too many mistakes and get a rhythm on offense. It starts with me. We have to put the kids in better positions to succeed.”

UP NEXT
~ Texas State is off next week and will return to the field on Oct. 26 for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Arkansas State. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Soccer Falls on the Road to Panthers

ATLANTA – The Texas State soccer team saw its four-match winning and shutout streaks come to an end on a cool Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss at Georgia State at the GSU Soccer Complex. The shutout streak was tied for the fourth longest in program history.

With the loss, the Bobcats drop to 8-6-2 on the season and 4-3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Panthers are now 6-8-2 overall and 3-4-1 in conference play.

It was a defensive stalemate with the first shot of the match coming in the 17th minute from Bailey Peschel off a corner kick.

GSU found the back of the net early in the 29th minute when Jimena Cabrero split two TXST defenders to get off a shot. The goal snapped the Bobcats scoreless streak at 450:35 minutes with the last goal allowed coming on Sept. 29 at Arkansas State.

Texas State attempted two more shots in the first half, both in the 37th minute. The first from Jordan Kondikoff went over the crossbar and Ally Kewish’s attempt went wide of the left post.

Over the first 12 minutes of the second half, the Panthers placed three shots on goal. All of them were stopped by Heather Martin to keep it a one-goal contest.

The Bobcats nearly found the equalizer midway through the 74th minute after GSU was called for a foul near the box and Eva Lois Diez was issued a yellow card. Kondikoff’s free kick found the head of Haley Groff but the ball went over the crossbar.

While only holding a 7-6 advantage in shots, the Panthers placed five of their attempts on goal with only one for TXST. Pacing the Bobcats with two shots was Kewish.

Martin made four saves on the afternoon. She now has 266 saves in her career and is two shy of matching Little Rock’s Breland Smiechowski (2004-07) for 20th in Sun Belt history.

Texas State concludes the regular season next weekend with two home matches. First up will be Troy at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wsoc&id=6883

Box Score (PDF): https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/10/20//TXST16.pdf

Bobcats streak continues, Dinwiddie becomes program’s all-time leader in digs

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Senior defensive specialist Micah Dinwiddie earned her way to the top of the record book in career digs after tallying 13 in what was Texas State’s (16-7, 8-1 Sun Belt) 20th consecutive conference victory at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats defeated South Alabama (15-7, 6-2 Sun Belt) 3-1 (25-7, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18) Saturday night to extend their winning streak to six, the longest of the season.

“I am extremely excited about how we performed. The kids have to remember that playing like this is what it will take to win this conference, said head coach Karen Chisum.”  It was a great crowd and a great win. It’s nice to continue where we are. I am also excited and proud that Micah [Dinwiddie] is the new record holder in digs. Micah has been instrumental for us over these four years and despite her role, she works hard, she does not complain, and she is a solid leader out there on the court.”

Led by Dinwiddie, the Bobcats’ back row totaled 63 digs with four players in double figures, and the team stuffed the Jaguars seven times to hold them to a .157 attacking percentage. However, the Maroon and Gold shined offensively with a season-high 66 kills on a .372 hitting percentage, a clip that ranks third in the Sun Belt in four-set matches as of Oct. 18. Texas State also registered 59 assists and seven aces, marking the eighth consecutive match the Bobcats have logged six or more aces.

Texas State is now 9-3 all-time vs. South Alabama and have won the last two meetings and six of the last seven contests.

Dinwiddie passed Sierra Smith (1,646 digs; 2012-15) on her eighth dig of the night and finished the match with 1,652 career digs after leading the club in that category for the fourth time this year. The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year also aced the Jags once, bringing her season total to 18. Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the Bobcat offense with a season-high 18 kills (.455) and added two blocks. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey registered back-to-back double-double performances after landing 17 kills (.419) and 10 digs, while also matching junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott with four blocks who recorded 12 kills to round out the double-digit offensive threats. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt nearly had a double-double with 49 assists and nine digs, and she also chipped in five kills, two aces, and one block. Junior libero Brooke Johnson also had two aces and finished the match with 10 digs.

Junior outside hitter Meaghan Jones led the Jaguars with 13 kills and had three blocks, followed by junior outside Hannah Harris’ double-double of 11 kills and 14 digs. She also had one of USA’s four aces. Sophomore setter Rachael DeMarcus had 36 assists and one ace in the loss. The Bobcats kept the Jaguars top hitter at bay as senior middle blocker Kelley Hartman finished with nine kills but did equal the match-high four blocks, including one solo. The league’s defensive player of the week, senior libero Ashlyn Roberts ended with a match-high 17 digs and also had one ace.

Set 1
South Alabama scored the first point of the match, but Texas State responded with a massive 14-0 run to gain complete control of the set. With the Jaguars using both timeouts early, there was no stopping the Bobcats as they cruised to a 25-7 opening set victory. Texas State hit a solid .519 in the frame led by Huskey (.714) and Fitzgerald’s (.571) five kills and the team registered four blocks.

Set 2
A much tighter set saw the Bobcats down 15-13 at the media timeout. The Maroon and Gold tied the stanza at 17 behind a 3-0 burst, but that would be the closest they would get as the Jaguars evened the match with a 25-22 victory, ending the Bobcats streak of 16 consecutive set wins.

Set 3
Texas State jumped out to a 3-0 lead that grew to 13-9 before South Alabama decided to call for time. TXST would grow its lead as large as seven (21-14) before USA used its final timeout, and despite a late 5-0 run by the visiting team, the Bobcats overcame the threat and won the set 25-20.

Set 4
With both teams locked in an 8-8 set, the Bobcats created some space by scoring five of the next six points to go-ahead 13-9 and the Jaguars called their first timeout of the set. Although South Alabama pulled within two points, Texas State boosted the lead to 21-16 to force USA’s second timeout and went on to score four of the final six points to seal the match.

Texas State will embark on a four-match road trip beginning in the Carolinas next weekend when they face undefeated Coastal Carolina Oct. 25 in Conway, S.C., and Appalachian State Oct. 27 in Boone, N.C.

TXST XC has final tune-up before championship season

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State cross country teams are prepared to compete in its final regular-season meet of the year as they gear up for the Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M at the Dale Watts (’71) Cross Country Course in College Station, Texas. The men will compete in an 8k course at 9 a.m. and the women will embark on their 6k route at 9:45 a.m.

The field will feature 32 total teams. Of those teams, 18 of the men’s programs are ranked in the top 15 of their regions, including the Bobcats who rank 12th in the South-Central Region and 17 of the women’s team are ranked in the top 15 of their regions.

The Bobcats are coming off a two-week hiatus where the women placed 18th out of 27 teams and the men finished 20th out of 32 teams at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.

Junior Tina Sierra led the Bobcat women with an 18:18.4 time that placed 73rd and was followed by classmate Sydney Cole who crossed the finish line at 18:23.9 for 81st placed in the women’s 5K. On the men’s side, junior Justin Botello led the Bobcat men for the second consecutive meet with a 25:09.5 time placing 57th and senior Johen Deleon finished 63rd with a 25:14.1 time. 

Davis and Pikoff Score in Shutout of Chanticleers

CONWAY, S.C. – Senior Kaylee Davis and junior Jessica Pikoff found the back of the net as the Texas State soccer team defeated Coastal Carolina 2-0 Friday evening at the CCU Soccer Stadium. The victory extended the Bobcats shutout and winning streak to four matches each.

TXST improved to 8-5-2 on the season and 4-2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Chanticleers drop to 5-8-2 overall and 3-4-1 in conference play.

Pressure on CCU paid off quickly as the Bobcat got a throw-in deep in the offensive third during the third minute. Addison Gaetano found Davis on the throw-in and the senior passed the ball off quickly to Hannah Solano. She then passed the ball into the box that Davis ran onto and sent a shot past the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands into the top left corner for an early 1-0 lead.

The goal was Davis’ sixth of the season and the 31st in her career. She is now tied for second on the TXST career list in goals with Allison Crain (2000-03). It would also hold up to be her 13th career match-winning goal to also tie her with Crain for second in Bobcat history and is now tied for sixth in Sun Belt history with Middle Tennessee’s Holly Grogan (2004-07) and Denver’s Taryn Hemmings (2004-06, 08).

For Solano, it was her team leading fourth assist of the season.

CCU picked up the pressure to try and find the equalizer that resulted in it outshooting Texas State 5-2 the rest of the way. Both attempts for the Bobcats came from Davis but were off target. The Chanticleers place three of their shots on goal with two being from distance. There one threatening attempt came on a header in the box during the 14th minute that went straight to Heather Martin for the stop.

During the 53rd minute, Davis sent in a cross from the far side to the back post. Mackenzie Smith nearly got a foot on the ball to redirect it into the open net to double the lead.

Madison Humphrey sent in a long pass that Renny Moore nearly ran onto but saw a defender beat her to the ball. The Chanticleer attempted to clear the ball but it went straight to Pikoff at the top right corner of the 18-yard box. The Austin, Texas native settled the ball and took a touch to her right before unleashing a floating shot into the right corner of the net for her first collegiate goal to increase the advantage to 2-0 in the 72nd minute.

Davis almost increased the lead again with just over 10 minutes to play. Her low shot in the box was stopped by the goalkeeper but was pushed back towards the middle of the box. A defender was able to beat Moore to the ball to clear it out of the box.

In the 89th minute, CCU sent in a corner kick from the far side and found the head of a Hannah Miller. A diving save by Martin kept the shutout intact.

TXST held a 12-11 lead in shots while the Chanticleers had a 6-3 shots on goal advantage. The Bobcats also recorded four corner kicks, all in the first half, and allowed only two.

Davis led all players with seven shots with two of them being on frame. The only other Texas State player to take multiple shots was Ally Kewish with two.

Martin made six saves to record her sixth shutout of the season and 21st in her career. The Midlothian, Texas native’s career shutout total is tied for the 10 most in conference history with FIU’s Kaitlin Savage (2009-12). Martin is now seven saves shy of cracking the Sun Belt’s Top 20 career saves list as well.

The Bobcats conclude their final road trip of the regular season on Sunday at Georgia State with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

Bobcats shows heart in 10th sweep of 2019

SAN MARCOS, Texas – One thousand, two hundred eighteen fans were treated to an exhilarating match that saw Texas State (15-7, 7-1 Sun Belt) register its fifth consecutive sweep with Troy (15-4, 5-2 Sun Belt) being its victim (37-35, 25-16, 25-13) Friday night at Strahan Arena.

“That was fun and that was for all the fans,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “I told the kids at the end that the first set was pure guts, character, and belief in the team because we were not supposed to win that set. I was proud of them and although we did not start strong, I saw the more we played and the stronger we got.”

The Bobcat faithful witnessed a record-setting set at home that featured 72 points between two teams. The last time Texas State was in a set that saw 70-plus points scored dates back to Nov. 3, 2009 when the Maroon and Gold topped UT Arlington 41-39 in the second set in Arlington, Texas. The Bobcats won that match in straight sets also.

The offense for Texas State continues to roll as they logged its third consecutive game hitting .330 or better and have turned in seven-straight matches with five or more service aces. They also matched a season-high 14 blocks after collecting 11 over the last two matches combined. The win moves the Bobcats streak to 19 in home conference matches dating back to 2017 and is now 11-0 all-time vs. the Trojans.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey turned in her seventh double-double on the year as she hit a match-high .552 behind 18 kills and dug out 11 balls. Huskey paced all players with three aces on the night and was one of three Bobcats to register five blocks (one solo). Freshman outside Lauren Teske added seven kills, while junior middle Tyeranee Scott and sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald both chipped in six kills. Scott recorded a match-high six blocks and Fitzgerald had five blocks in the contest. Sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter was the final Bobcat that had five blocks which included one solo block and finished with three kills. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt had 38 assists, three blocks, two aces and one kill, and junior libero Brooke Johnson logged 10 digs in the victory.

Junior outside hitter Cheyenne Hays led the Trojans with 13 kills and had seven digs in the loss. Freshman middle hitter Julia Brooks was behind her with 12 kills (.400). Sophomore setter Amara Anderson handed out 35 assists and logged eight digs, and sophomore libero Lacey Jeffcoat had a match-high 18 digs.

Set 1
The Trojans started off with the momentum and led for the majority of the set before senior DS Micah Dinwiddie’s service ace gave the Bobcats their first lead at 25-24. From that moment, 11 ties were recorded, and the Bobcats had set point four times in what was the highest point total in a single set at home for the Bobcats. Texas State finally got over the hump after Huskey landed her eighth kill of the set and DeWalt finished it off with an ace to win the frame 37-35.

Set 2
The tightly contested battled continued in the second stanza as TXST led Troy 15-13 by the media timeout. After the Trojans scored the first point out of the break, the Bobcats scored five-in-a-row to burn through the rest of Troy’s timeouts and took 20-14 lead. Texas State went on to win the set 25-16.

Set 3
It was all Bobcats in the third set as they jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead that grew to 15-9 at the media timeout. The Maroon and Gold closed the set on a 10-4 run highlighted by a 5-0 burst to end the match with a 25-13 victory.

Sun Belt Conference play continues for Texas State when they matchup against South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in Strahan Arena.

TXST XC has final tune-up before championship season

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State cross country teams are prepared to compete in its final regular-season meet of the year as they gear up for the Arturo Barrios Invitational hosted by Texas A&M at the Dale Watts (’71) Cross Country Course in College Station, Texas. The men will compete in an 8k course at 9 a.m. and the women will embark on their 6k route at 9:45 a.m.

The field will feature 32 total teams. Of those teams, 18 of the men’s programs are ranked in the top 15 of their regions, including the Bobcats who rank 12th in the South-Central Region and 17 of the women’s team are ranked in the top 15 of their regions.

The Bobcats are coming off a two-week hiatus where the women placed 18th out of 27 teams and the men finished 20th out of 32 teams at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.

Junior Tina Sierra led the Bobcat women with an 18:18.4 time that placed 73rd and was followed by classmate Sydney Cole who crossed the finish line at 18:23.9 for 81st placed in the women’s 5K. On the men’s side, junior Justin Botello led the Bobcat men for the second consecutive meet with a 25:09.5 time placing 57th and senior Johen Deleon finished 63rd with a 25:14.1 time. 

PREVIEW: Big tests for Bobcats vs. Troy, South Alabama

SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the first time this season, the Texas State volleyball team (14-7, 6-1 Sun Belt) welcomes a pair of Sun Belt Conference opponents with winning records in league play. The cross-division weekend will begin vs. Troy (15-3, 5-1 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and conclude vs. South Alabama (14-6, 5-1 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Both matches will be played at Strahan Arena.

FOLLOW ALONG

ESPN+ vs. Troy and South Alabama – PxP: Brant Freeman, Analyst: Ali Hubicsak (vs. Troy) / Bill Culhane (vs. South Alabama)
Listen vs. South Alabama – 89.9 FM KTSW (San Marcos)
Live Stats vs. Troy – Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. South Alabama – Statbroadcast

SETTING THE SCENE

• Texas State will put a few winning streaks on the line this weekend vs. Troy and South Alabama. The Bobcats enter the weekend on a four-match winning streak overall, a seven-match home winning streak, and an impressive 18-match winning streak in conference games played at home. The last loss at home in league play for the Bobcats dates back to Sept. 22, 2017 vs. South Alabama (0-3).
• TXST leads the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 6-1 record and are now No. 2 overall in the league after an Appalachian State loss. Coastal Carolina (6-0) remains the only unbeaten team in the Sun Belt.
• The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt with a No. 52 RPI ranking. The team ranks inside the top 50 in all of Division I volleyball in team service aces (120, No. 26) aces per set (1.64/set, No. 39), and opponent hitting percentage (.170, No. 44).
• Since the start of conference play, the Bobcats lead the league in hitting percentage (.290), opponent hitting percentage (.102) and aces (2.17/set). The team also ranks towards the top of the league in blocks (2.16/set, No. 3), kills (13.29/set, No. 5) and assists (11.71/set, No. 6).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey paces the team with 3.32 kills per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 0.54 aces per set (No. 2 in the Sun Belt; 39 total). She also adds 2.14 digs per set and has 34 total blocks. Huskey’s 0.54 aces per set rank No. 11 in all of Division I volleyball players and her 39 total aces rank No. 7 in DI volleyball.
• Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.71 kills per set and has 33 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage at .324 (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) behind 114 kills and has 65 blocks, including nine solos. Scott’s 1.07 blocks per set rank No. 2 in the Sun Belt.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.76 assists set which sits No. 5 in the conference. DeWalt also adds 2.36 digs per set, 45 kills, 27 blocks and 23 aces this year.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begin with sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 99 kills with a .270 hitting percentage to go along with 55 blocks (seven solos), and three aces. In conference matches only, Slaughter ranks No. 6 in the league with 1.00 block per set.
• Junior libero Brooke Johnson leads the club with 2.58 digs per set and has 56 assists and 10 aces this season. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.12 digs per set and 16 aces in 2019. Dinwiddie has 1,633 career digs and is 14 digs shy from becoming the program’s all-time leader. Sophomore DS Kaylie Koenen also ranks in the top 10 of the Sun Belt with 0.34 aces per set (No. 10).

SCOUTING TROY

• Troy enters the weekend on a three-match winning streak and is 9-1 in its last 10 matches.
• The Trojans are a perfect 10-0 at home this season and are 2-2 on the road which includes a 3-1 loss at Georgia Southern on Oct. 4.
• Overall in 2019, Troy leads the Sun Belt in assists (12.83/set), kills (13.86/set), and opponent hitting percentage (.154). The Trojans rank No. 2 with 1.67 aces per set, No. 3 with a .218 hitting percentage, and No. 8 in blocks (1.80/set) and digs (14.62/set).
• Junior outside hitter Cheyenne Hays is the league’s leader with 4.27 kills per set and has a .239 hitting percentage. Hays also averages 2.48 digs per set, has 25 total blocks and 12 aces on the year.
• Freshman middle hitter Julia Brooks follows with 2.38 kills per set and ranks No. 5 in the conference with a .310 hitting percentage. Brooks also leads the team with 43 total blocks.
• Sophomore setter Amara Anderson has taken the league by storm and averages a conference-best 11.36 assists per set. She also has 2.61 digs on average, 33 kills, 22 blocks and 18 aces this year.
• Sophomore libero Lacey Jeffcoat ranks No. 4 in the Sun Belt with 0.47 aces per set (30 total) and is tied at No. 9 with 3.86 digs per set. Sophomore setter Natalie Hummel also ranks in the top 10 of the league in aces with 0.41 per set (No. 6).

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA

• South Alabama is on a four-match winning streak entering the weekend and will face UTA Oct. 18 before heading to Strahan Arena. USA is 11-0 at home this season and is 3-3 as the visiting team, including a five-set setback vs. Georgia State Oct. 4.
• The Jaguars rank towards the top half of the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.244, No. 2), opponent hitting percentage (.172, No. 3), aces per set (1.46, No. 6) and kills per set (12.82, No. 6). The team ranks No. 7 with 11. 39 assists per set, No. 9 with 14.38 digs per set, and No. 11 with 1.61 blocks per set.
• Senior middle blocker Kelley Hartman is the club’s leader in kills per set (3.21), hitting percentage (.399) blocks (0.80/set, 57 total). Hartman’s hitting percentage leads the Sun Belt and she ranks No. 8 in kills per set. She also has 13 aces this season.
• Senior outside Iva Durdanovic is second on the team with 188 total kills (.227). She also averages 2.71 digs per set and adds 18 blocks and 17 aces in 2019.
• Sophomore setter Rachael DeMarcus leads the team with 9.88 assists per set (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) and freshman Lillie Fromdahl follows with 6.31 assists per set (No. 10 in the Sun Belt). DeMarcus has 33 kills, 12 aces and 12 blocks, and Fromadahl has 12 kills, nine blocks and six aces this season.
• Junior outside hitter Hannah Harris has 0.35 aces per set (24 total) which ranks No. 8 in the league. She also adds 2.30 kills per set, 1.62 digs per set, and 22 total blocks to her 2019 statistics.
• Senior libero Ashlyn Roberts leads the Trojan’s defense with 4.25 digs per set and has 15 aces. Roberts is this week’s Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bobcats are a combined 18-3 vs. Troy and South Alabama. TXST is 10-0 all-time vs. Troy and are 8-3 in head-to-head meetings vs. South Alabama.
• Texas State and Troy played once last year at Troy where the Bobcats won in straight sets. Fitzgerald led the team with 12 kills and DeWalt registered a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs. Dinwiddie also had 11 digs in the match and Slaughter had a match-high six blocks.
• The last meeting vs. South Alabama was in Mobile, Ala. where TXST won it in four sets. Fitzgerald had 13 kills and three blocks, DeWalt had 49 assists and seven digs, and Dinwiddie had 14 digs. The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 22, 2017, where USA won 3-0.

Bobcats, Mavericks to play on ESPN2

SAN MARCOS, Texas– The Sun Belt Conference has selected the matchup between Texas State and UT Arlington in February 2020 to be shown on ESPN 2. With the broadcast change, the game at UTA will be at 8 p.m. CT Feb. 28 at the College Park Center.

“I am excited about the opportunities our team will get to play in front of a nationally televised audience,” said head coach Danny Kaspar. “The exposure is great for our program and our conference games with UTA have been very close and exciting contests. I foresee that being the case again this season.”

The Bobcats 2019-20 schedule is comprised of 31 games that feature 17 played in front of the Bobcat faithful, including five of the first eight to start the season. The competitive schedule displays five teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago such as Abilene Christian, Baylor, Georgia State, Houston and Prairie View A&M.

The Bobcats are coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw a 24-10 overall record, including a 12-6 conference mark, the most wins overall since the 1993-94 season and the most conference wins since joining the Sun Belt in 2013. Texas State made its second CIT postseason appearance in three years, but fell to Florida International, 87-81.

Texas State will return eight players from last year’s team, spearheaded by 2018-19 All-Sun Belt First Team honoree, senior Nijal Pearson. Senior forward Eric Terry will also return along with classmate Chandler Davis. Juniors Shelby Adams, Marlin Davis, and Quentin Scott, with sophomores Mason Harrell and Alonzo Sule complete the list of returners.

Season tickets are now available for purchase through the Texas State online ticket center website. Prices for season tickets will depend upon seating location.

General admission season tickets will be available for as low as $99 and lower reserved seating options will start at $130. Any questions regarding 2019-20 Texas State men’s basketball season tickets can be addressed to the Texas State Athletics Ticket Office at 512-245-2272 or via email at gametickets@txstate.edu.

Soccer Heads East for Final Road Matches

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team (7-5-2, 3-2-1 Sun Belt) plays its final Sun Belt Conference road matches this weekend in the Palmetto and Peach States. Friday sees the Bobcats take on Coastal Carolina (5-7-2, 3-3-1 Sun Belt) at 5 p.m. CT at the CCU Soccer Stadium. TXST concludes the road trip on Sunday against Georgia State (4-8-2, 1-4-1 Sun Belt) at the GSU Soccer Complex with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

Live stats will be available for both matches while a video stream will be provided just for Friday’s contest in Conway, South Carolina.

Last Weekend
The Bobcats recorded its third straight shutout and win with a 1-0 victory over Louisiana last Friday. Mackenzie Smith scored the lone goal of the match off a rebound from Kaylee Davis’ initial shot in the 26th minute.

The defense forced the Ragin’ Cajuns into long shots that never threatened Heather Martin between the posts. She recorded a season-high seven saves in the contest for her 20th career shutout, tied for the 11th most in Sun Belt history.

#Goals2Cure
The 2019 season sees head coach Kat Conner and the Texas State soccer team raise money for the fight against ovarian cancer through the Goals2Cure initiative. Goals2Cure is a charitable initiative whose mission is to promote ovarian cancer awareness and to raise funds in support of women fighting ovarian cancer.

The Bobcats are collecting pledges for each goal scored this season with donations going directly to benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. The link to donate is www.pledgeit.org/goals2cure2019.

Scouting Coastal Carolina
CCU split its two matches last weekend at home with a win over Georgia State (2-0) before dropping a double overtime heartbreaker to South Alabama (3-2). The Chanticleers other two conference wins have been against Appalachian State (1-0) and Troy (2-1), both at home. CCU is 3-3-1 at home this season with all three victories being against conference foes.

Sunneva Sigurvinsdottir leads the team with six goals and 12 points while taking 27 shots and placing 14 on goal. Hannah Miller enters Friday with five goals and one assist for 11 points. She ranks second in the conference with 48 shot attempts while putting 14 on frame.

Finding the back of the net twice this season has been Megan Brouse and Gabby Smychynsky.

Credited with a team-high two assists are Mackenzie Cherry, Lauren Denning, Mackenzie Gibbs and Brouse. Gibbs comes in second on the squad with 30 shots but has only placed six of them on goal.

Between the posts, Rylee Atteberry has started 10 matches. The junior has surrendered 20 goals for a 2.03 GAA while making 36 saves for a .643 save percentage. Ky Hudson has made six appearances with four starts and enters with a 1.27 GAA and a .647 save percentage with 11 stops.

All-Time vs. Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina leads the all-time series 3-1-0 over Texas State. The Chanticleers won the first three meetings before the Bobcats got their breakthrough win on Senior Day last year. TXST won 1-0 on a 64th minute Davis goal that clinched the Sun Belt regular season championship for the Bobcats.

CCU’s last victory was on Nov. 1, 2017 in the first round of the conference tournament. The Chanticleers came away with a 2-1 double overtime win and would advance all the way to the championship match for the second straight year.

The only previous meeting in Conway came on Sept. 17, 2017. CCU’s Kayla Christian scored the lone goal of the 1-0 match exactly 10 minutes into the contest.

Scouting Georgia State
Georgia State lost two 2-0 matches last weekend on the road at Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern. The Panthers’ lone conference win this season was the opener against Little Rock (1-0), and the draw was a scoreless contest against Arkansas State. They are 3-2-1 when playing at home this season with both positive Sun Belt results being in Atlanta.

Jimena Cabreo paces the team with three goals, six points, 22 shots and 15 shots on goal. All three of her scores have been match-winners. She also has GSU’s lone goal during conference play.

Both Liz Fogarty and Jocelyn Jones have netted two goals apiece. Credited with two assists are Hannah Davis and Jolle Ryff.

An All-Sun Belt Preseason selection, Brooke Shank is second on the team with 19 shots but has yet to find the back of the net.

Kendra Clarke has played in nine matches in goal. She enters with a 1.29 GAA with 12 goals surrendered and a .721 save percentage with 31 stops. The Cleveland State transfer has recorded two of the Panthers’ three shutouts on the year.

Ashley Triplett has made five appearances between the posts and sports a 2.94 GAA and a .522 save percentage with 12 saves. Allie Strunk enters with a 2.67 GAA and .429 save percentage with three saves in two matches.

All-Time vs. Panthers
Texas State leads the all-time series 5-2-1 over Georgia State and is undefeated in the last three meetings. Last season saw the teams play to a 1-1 draw in San Marcos. Davis scored the tying goal late in the 82nd minute on a penalty kick while the Panthers’ lone tally was on own goal by TXST.

The Bobcats are 1-2-0 all-time when playing GSU on the road. TXST won the last meeting in Atlanta on Sept. 15, 2017 by a 3-1 score. That day saw Davis net the final two goals with the first coming from Rachel Grout off a corner kick.

Nov. 4, 2015 was the last time the Panthers beat Texas State. That came in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament that GSU was hosting and ended with a 2-1 score.

Pledge Goals2Cure – https://pledgeit.org/goals2cure2019
Live Stats (CCU) – http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=268200&vislive=txst
Video (CCU) – https://goccusports.com/watch/?Live=128&type=Live
Live Stats (GSU) – http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=265918&vislive=txst
TXST Match Notes – https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/10/16/2019_Soccer_Match_Notes_Week_9.pdf

Sun Belt Conference Series Announced for 2020 Baseball Season

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team will play 10 Sun Belt Conference series during the 2020 season. The Bobcats will face all five West Division opponents and five of the six teams from the East Division.

First up in conference play will be Appalachian State from Mar. 13-15 at Bobcat Ballpark. This will be the fourth time in five years that the two teams will face off in the first or second conference series of a season.

The first Sun Belt road series sees the Bobcats travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas to take on Arkansas State Mar. 20-22. Last season, TXST swept the Red Wolves for the first time in program history.

Coastal Carolina, the two-time defending Sun Belt Tournament champions, come to town the final weekend of March. The only previous meeting between the teams in San Marcos saw the Bobcats take 2-of-3 games in 2017.

April begins with a trip to ULM and then hosting Louisiana during Easter Weekend. A trip to Atlanta is on tap to take on Georgia State before closing out the month at home against Little Rock.

The month of May sees Texas State play two of the final three series on the road. The Bobcats start off with a visit to Troy the beginning of the month and then return home to host Georgia Southern for the final home series of the season. A trip to in-state rival UT Arlington concludes the regular season.

May 19-24 will see the Sun Belt Championship contested in Montgomery, Alabama. The tournament is going to be held at Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits and the AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Complete 2020 Schedule: https://txstatebobcats.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball

Women’s Tennis Team Records 12 Victories at Texas State Play Day

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Josefina Cassara won an individual championship, and Hana Kvapilova finished in third place to lead Texas State women’s tennis team at the Texas State Play Day tournament on Saturday at the Bobcat Tennis Complex.

The Bobcats combined for 10 individual victories and won a pair of doubles matches in the tournament.

Cassara surrendered just two points in her two singles matches after teaming with Kvapilova to beat Prairie View A&M’s Victoria Fuenmayor Castillo and Mahogani Green by the score of 7-5.  Cassara shut out Jimena Duran Castellanos of Prairie View A&M, 6-0, 6-0, in her first singles matches. In the second round, she beat Megan Flores of Trinity by a score of 6-1, 6-1.

Kvapilova defeated Sydney Fitch of Air Force by the score of 6-1, 6-3 in her first singles match, and came back to beat Armelle Cerdan of Stephen F. Austin, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round.

Alyssa Zayat and Andrea Fuchs dropped a 7-5 doubles decision against Fitch and Courtney Swift of Air Force before coming back and combining for four victories in singles matches.

Zayat won a 6-3, 6-0 decision against Jessica Lackey of Prairie View A&M. She came back to beat Green in three sets after dropping the first set, 6-1. She won the second set, 6-4, before winning the third set with a 10-4 score in the super tiebreaker.

Fuchs defeated Cerdan in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, for her first win. She also beat Victoria Fuenmayor-Castillo, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round.

Sofia Murcia-Rodriguez and C. Israel-Lewis beat Mary and Zoe of Trinity, 6-4, for Texas State’s second win in a doubles match. Murcia-Rodriguez also defeated Abby Warner of Air Force in three sets. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Murcia-Rodriguez also won the second set, 6-3, before capturing the third set after winning the super tiebreaker, 10-4. She dropped her second singles match against Ai Noa Fabre by a score of 6-2, 6-3.

Renata Gonzalez also recorded a three-set victory over Salma Sanchez of Prairie View in the second round. She dropped the first set, 6-4, but came back to win the second set, 6-3, and the super tiebreaker, 10-5, to capture the third set.

Texas State travels to College Station on Oct. 17-21 to compete in the ITA Texas Regional Championships.

Bobcats dominate in fourth consecutive sweep

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team (14-7, 6-1 Sun Belt) turned in its 18th consecutive Sun Belt Conference win at home and fourth straight sweep by dominating Georgia Southern (6-11, 1-5 Sun Belt) 25-10, 25-15, 25-13 Saturday at Strahan Arena.

“That was another all-around good match for us,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We hit .449 so you cannot complain about that and we kept Georgia Southern from getting in any kind of rhythm. We served well and had nine aces but if there is one thing we have to improve, it is our blocking, but that will come. It was just another solid game overall and glad about giving these great crowds wins to watch.”

The Bobcats turned in a season-high .449 hitting percentage and registered 49 kills on 89 swings with nine errors, marking the second time in three matches that they have registered less than 10 attacking errors. The Maroon and Gold had the advantage over the Eagles in most statistical measures including kills (49-23), hitting percentage (.449-.139), assists (41-22), digs (32-26) and aces (9-1). Both teams logged two blocks.

With the win, Texas State improves to 7-0 all-time vs. Georgia Southern and keeps its seven-match home winning streak in tack.

Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the charge offensively for Texas State with 13 kills on 22 swings with one error for a season-best .545 hitting percentage. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey registered 12 kills (.409) and matched her career-best five aces for the fourth time. Huskey also recorded four digs. Freshman outside Lauren Teske rounded out the top hitters with 10 kills (.400) and had one block and one assist. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt continued to play at a high level, handing out 36 assists and logging four kills, four digs, one ace, and one block, and junior libero Brooke Johnson finished with a team-high 11 digs and chipped in two assists and one ace.

Georgia Southern was led by senior outside hitter Carly Turner’s six kills and the team’s lone ace. Sophomore middle hitter Baylor Bumford (.444) and senior outside Ryan Tuten each had five kills in the loss. Bumford also had a match-high two blocks, including one solo. Sophomore setter Madison Brown led the team with 20 assists and had four digs, while junior libero Landon Jones finished with a match-high 12 digs.

Set 1
The Bobcats continued their offensive dominance by jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind five kills and would eventually build a 14-3 advantage before GS called their second timeout. Texas State could not be stopped however and took the opening set, 25-10. Although they did not have a single block in the set, the Bobcats hit .571 as a unit with 17 kills on 28 swings and one error.

Set 2
Texas State scored five unanswered points to open the stanza and held a 9-3 lead when Georgia Southern called for time. GS continued to fight but used their second timeout after TXST used a 3-1 run to increase the margin to 16-8. Although the Eagles kept the Bobcats honest, the home team separated themselves at the end and won the set 25-15.

Set 3
The Bobcats took control early in the third set and led 7-2 by the first pause in action. A 6-1 burst by TXST helped the team build an 11-point margin at 17-6 but GS responded by scoring six of the next eight points to bring the score to 19-12. That would be their last push as the Bobcats ended the match on another 6-1 scoring margin capped by a 4-0 burst to the finish line to win 25-13.

Texas State will conclude its longest home stretch in conference play next weekend with 6:30 p.m. matches vs. Troy (Oct. 18) and South Alabama (Oct. 19).