Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball & Cross Country

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:
Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball & Cross Country

Bobcats down Eagles 3-0 on Senior Day,
Clinch Sun Belt Tournament Berth

SAN MARCOS, Texas – On Senior Day, the Texas State soccer team punched its’ ticket to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.

The Bobcats conclude the regular season 9-7-2 on the season and 5-4-1 in conference play while the Eagles are now 6-10-1 overall and 3-6-1 in the Sun Belt. Both teams have to wait for the result of Tuesday’s match between Arkansas State and Little Rock for their seed (TXST) or if they make the tournament (GS).

A throw-in on the far side by Gabie Jones to Kalen Sanderfer was knocked back to Jones early in the 11th minute. The sophomore sent the ball into the box to Kaylee Davis, who slotted her shot into the lower left corner for the opening goal.

The Eagles responded with immediate pressure to try to find the equalizer. They were able to take two shots over the next two minutes but only one was on frame. A long attempt by Nicole Aussin was easily handled by Heather Martin for the save.

Ally Kewish came on about midway through the 21st minute and two minutes later the move paid off. Jordan Kondikoff won the ball and passed the ball over to Jessica Pikoff in the attacking half of the pitch. Pikoff found Kewish, who took a touch and sent in a floating shot from 25 yards out. The ball went over the goalkeepers’ hands and under the crossbar to put Texas State up 2-0 on the sophomore’s first goal of the season.

The Bobcats had two more good looks to increase the lead in the 37th minute. Kewish took another shot that beat the goalkeeper but bounced off the right post. Kayla Streber was there for the rebound that saw the keeper making a diving stop.

Mackenzie Smith nearly found the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Her shot attempt hit off the crossbar and bounced away.

Midway through the 55th minute, Davis broke through the GS backline and got taken down from behind in the box by Claire Amici and issued a yellow card. Davis stepped up and converted the penalty kick to increase the advantage to 3-0. It was the Allen, Texas native’s third made penalty kick of the season, a new TXST single season record.

The goal was the 33rd in Davis’ Bobcat career to move her into a tie for 15th in Sun Belt history. She matches Middle Tennessee’s Shan Jones (2008-11) on the list.

Kathryn Budde made her first career appearance in a conference match of her career when she entered for Martin early in the 71st minute. The San Antonio native made a save two minutes after entering on a long, high shot by the Eagles.

Three minutes later, Kiara Gonzales almost had her first career goal if it wasn’t for a kick save by the keeper. Kamaria Williams also came close to tack on a goal in the 79 minute but was denied at the near post.

The Bobcats dominated the match with a 17-5 advantage on shots and 8-4 in shots on goal. Davis led all players with six shots, with three being on frame. Kewish was the only other TXST player with multiple shots with a career-high four and placing two on goal.

Martin made three saves in just over 70 minutes between the posts and Budde stopped the one shot that she faced. The shutout was the ninth of the season for TXST.

Next up for the Bobcats is the Sun Belt Tournament that will take place Nov. 6-10 in Foley, Alabama at the Foley Sports Complex. Both opponent and match time are still to be determined as they will be between the third and sixth seed.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6885

Resilient Bobcats top Mountaineers in five sets

BOONE, N.C. – A thrilling match to end the slate of Sun Belt Conference action this weekend saw Texas State (18-7, 10-1 Sun Belt) battle back to upend Appalachian State (9-14, 5-5 Sun Belt) in five sets (16-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-11, 16-14) Sunday afternoon at the Holmes Center.

“We had a very slow start. But once we were down 0-2, I told the team that we’ve talked about character all year so let’s see what we are made of,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “I am extremely proud of our comeback. It was huge. We made a few lineup changes where we went to a 6-2 offense. Hats off to Riley [Fuentes] for stepping up and Caitlan [Buettner] who did a great job on blocking which we desperately needed at that point. We will enjoy this win and the weekend we had.”

With their backs against the wall trailing 2-0 in the match, the Bobcats willed their way to victory by winning the third and fourth sets convincingly before edging the Mountaineers the fifth set. The last time Texas State fought back and won after a 2-0 deficit was on Oct. 26, 2018 vs. Louisiana at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats held the Mountaineers to a .119 hitting percentage, registered 61 digs, and matched a season-high 14 blocks in the win. Offensively, the Cats hit .255 with 64 kills and aced their opponent seven times.

The victory extends the Bobcats’ winning streak to eight and are 7-3 all-time vs. the Mountaineers in head-to-head meetings. Sunday was the first meeting between the two clubs since the 3-0 victory for TXST in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship match.

Texas State had four players register double digits in kills for the second straight contest. Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the Bobcat offense by matching a season-high 18 kills (.282). Fitzgerald also had five blocks (one solo) and four digs. Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott landed 14 kills (.429), matched her career-high of seven blocks, had three digs and recorded her first ace this season. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey nearly had her third straight double-double with 13 kills and nine digs, but did match a career-best five blocks, including one solo block. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske finished with 11 kills (.281) and had five digs in the win. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt turned in her 30th career double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs and added two aces. Junior libero Brooke Johnson led the back row with 14 digs and had a match-high three aces, while sophomore DS Kayla Granado tallied her second consecutive match with double-digit digs, finishing with 10.

Senior outside hitter Emma Longley was the only Mountaineer to put up double figures with 16 kills in the loss. She also finished with four digs and four blocks including two solo blocks. Junior outside Grace Morrison followed with eight kills and matched Scott’s seven blocks (three solos). Freshman setter Sammy Luscher led the team with 20 assists and finished with five digs, while her classmate and counterpart Sam Bickley had 18 assists, five digs, and a team-high three aces. Junior libero Emma Reilly led all players with 17 digs and added five assists and two aces.

Set 1
Texas State took its first lead of the match at 7-6 but was forced to use a timeout as they found themselves down 12-10 moments later. After exchanging a few points, Appalachian State eventually took a lead that grew as large as nine points and won the set 25-16.

Set 2
APP took control of the set early and led in a wire-to-wire 26-24 victory to go-ahead 2-0. The Bobcats were down 21-16 before using their first timeout of the set. Out of the break, TXST scored four unanswered that sparked a massive 8-3 run to tie the frame at 24. The Mountaineers would seal the set, however, with a kill from Longley followed by a double block by sophomore middles Anna Kincaid and Amya Giger.

Set 3
The Bobcats jumped out to a 3-0 start and led 6-2 before APP called a timeout. TXST’s lead expanded to 17-8 thanks to a stretch of six unanswered points and later, a 5-0 burst put the Bobcats ahead 23-11. Despite the 5-2 scoring by Appalachian State, Texas State avoided the sweep with a 25-16 win.

Set 4
After the Mountaineers scored the first point of the stanza, the Bobcats proceeded to go on a 15-3 run to capture all of the momentum. The Maroon and Gold eventually held a 15-point margin at 22-7 and ultimately dominated the set 25-11 to force a fifth set.

Set 5
The fifth and deciding set featured eight ties but only two lead changes. Both teams played evenly to begin the frame, but the Bobcats created some separation at 7-4 with a 3-0 run and the teams switched sides with the visiting team holding an 8-5 advantage. APP called a timeout trailing 10-7 but forced TXST to burn a timeout after tying the set at 10. The Mountaineers and Bobcats recorded three more ties before the home team made the first lead change at 14-13, forcing the Bobcats to use their final timeout. The Cats ended the match with three unanswered points, however, starting with a kill from Teske, a solo block by freshman outside hitter Caitlan Buettner, and an attacking error by the Mountaineers for a 16-14 final.

The road trip continues for the Bobcats next weekend when they head to Louisiana. TXST will take on ULM at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 in Monroe, La. and then close the road portion of its 2019 regular-season schedule vs. Louisiana at noon Nov. 3 in Lafayette, La.

Soccer Drops Tough Contest to Trojans in Overtime

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team battled but fell in the first overtime period to Troy 1-0 on a cold and windy Friday night at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.

With the loss, the Bobcats are now 8-7-2 on the season and 4-4-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Trojans are 11-2-4 overall, 6-1-2 in conference play and clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. TXST is on the verge of clinching a spot in the tournament; needing a win or draw Sunday against Georgia Southern.

Jordan Kondikoff took the first shot of the match midway through the 8th minute from just outside the top of the 18-yard box. Her low attempt was on frame but was stopped by the diving goalkeeper.

In the 19th minute, Kaylee Davis nearly put the Bobcats on the scoreboard. She headed a cross from Kondikoff towards the upper portion of the net. However, the ball was tipped over the bar by the keeper for a goal kick.

Davis nearly found Bailey Peschel wide open at the back post during the 24th minute. But the freshmen was unable to get a foot on the ball.

Eight minutes later, Davis took a rip from the near side that buzzed by the outside of the right post.

With just under 30 seconds remaining in the half, a loose ball found its way to Holly Streber. The junior took a long crack at goal that would have found the back of the net except for Troy’s Haleigh Mercer making a diving save to keep the match scoreless.

Texas State put pressure on the Trojan defense and had multiple chances to end the stalemate during the first 15 minutes of the second half. Davis had three opportunities on long balls in which she outraced defenders. Two of them were denied by Mercer while the third saw the Allen, Texas native avoid the charging goalkeeper but a heavy touch pushed saw the ball roll over the end line for a goal kick.

Another long ball in the 72 minute saw Davis break free behind the Troy backline. Her attempt was again stopped by Mercer.

The last shot on goal for the Bobcats came in the 77th minute from Renny Moore. The ball was placed to the bottom left corner but the keeper was there for the save.

Kondikoff almost ended the contest nearly three minutes into the overtime period. She unleashed a long attempt that had the goalkeeper beat but just barely cleared the top of the crossbar.

Troy won a corner kick with just under 90 seconds left in the extra period. It was sent in and found Maddie Brune at the back post, who headed it home for the golden goal.

A 17-11 advantage in shots and 8-4 in shots on goal was had by the Bobcats. Davis led all players with a season-high tying seven shot attempts and four shots on goal. Kondikoff matched her career best of six shots and placed two of them on frame. Also with multiple shots on the night was Moore with two.

In goal, Heather Martin made three saves to increase her career total to 269. She moved past Little Rock’s Brielan Smiechowski (2004-07) into 20th-place in Sun Belt Conference history.

Next up for the Bobcats is Georgia Southern to close out the regular season with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. After the match, the program’s six seniors will be honored for their contributions to the program.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6884&path=wsoc

Bobcats stain Chanticleers’ unblemished record in four-set battle

CONWAY, S.C. – Texas State (17-7, 9-1 Sun Belt) answered the bell and knocked off Coastal Carolina (18-3, 8-1 Sun Belt) 3-1 (25-23, 27-29, 25-23, 25-18) Friday night at the HTC Center to improve its win streak to seven. The Bobcats move into first place of the Sun Belt Conference after handing the Chanticleers their first loss of the season in league play.

“It was another total team effort tonight,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “Both teams had several runs throughout the match, but the biggest difference was our hitters. We had four finish in double figures and they only had two. [Lauren] Teske stepped up and did a great job tonight and Janell [Fitzgerald] was on fire. Cheyenne [Huskey] got rolling late and our two middles performed well on both sides of the net. This was a big one and I am proud of this group.”

The Bobcats outhit the Chants .286-.212 in what was a back-and-forth battle all night. Texas State held the advantage in kills (61-51), assists (56-50), digs (55-45), and aces (6-4). The Bobcats’ six aces marked the fifth consecutive match they have recorded six or more in a match.  With the win, Texas State evens the all-time series vs. Coastal Carolina at three games apiece and is on a three-match winning streak when playing head-to-head in regular-season contests.

Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald turned in 17 kills behind a .500 hitting percentage to lead the Bobcats. She also added three blocks and three digs in the win. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey logged her third consecutive double-double with 14 kills and a team-high 13 digs, freshman outside Lauren Teske registered a career-high 14 kills (.379), and junior middle blocker recorded 10 kills to round out the Bobcats’ top hitters. Scott also led the Bobcats with four total blocks. DeWalt handed out a season-high 50 assists which is her fifth 50-plus assists performance in her career, and matched sophomore DS Kayla Granado for a match-high two aces. DeWalt finished with five digs, two kills, and two blocks, and Granado was second on the team with 12 digs. Junior libero Brooke Johnson also finished with double digits in digs at 10.

Coastal’s sophomore outside hitter Anett Nemeth got her numbers, recording 26 kills (.327) and 12 digs in the setback, and junior middle hitter Kyla Manning followed with 10 kills. Manning also had five digs, two blocks, and one ace. Freshman setter Brigitta Petrenko totaled 49 assists and matched DeWalt and Granado’s two aces, while also finishing with nine digs and a team-best three blocks. Freshman libero Lina Perugini had a match-high 14 digs.

Set 1
The Bobcats won a tight opening set 25-23 after ending on a 4-2 run. The first set tallied five lead changes and although Coastal started with a 3-0 lead, back-to-back kills from Fitzgerald and an ace from DeWalt gave the set its only lead change of the frame at 6-4. Neither team led by more than three points in the set, and Huskey along with Fitzgerald paced the Cats with four kills apiece.

Set 2
The number of ties doubled from the first set halfway through the second stanza, but the Bobcats created separation as Fitzgerald’s kill put the visitors ahead 15-12 to force Coastal’s first timeout of the match. The Chanticleers pulled within one on multiple occasions and proceeded to tie the set six more times before closing on a 3-0 run to win it 29-27.

Set 3
Coastal Carolina jumped out to an 8-4 lead (the largest of the match at that time) and pressured Texas State to take an early timeout. The Bobcats responded with a 6-2 burst to tie the set at 11 and Fitzgerald landed another kill to give TXST a 12-11 advantage. Their lead would grow to 24-20 and despite a late 3-0 scoring run by Coastal, the Bobcats took a 2-1 match lead by winning the frame 25-23.

Set 4
Texas State opened the fourth set with three kills and led 7-2 before Coastal Carolina decided to use a timeout to stop the bleeding. However, the Bobcats’ lead ballooned to as many as six points at 23-17 instead despite a couple of Chanticleer runs and the visiting club overcame them and sealed the set at 25-18.

The Bobcats will have a day off before challenging Appalachian State at 11:30 a.m. CT Oct. 27 at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C.

Bobcats Conclude Regular Season with Two Home Matches

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team (8-6-2, 4-3-1 Sun Belt) wraps up the regular season this weekend with two home matches at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. First up on Friday is a meeting with Troy (10-2-4, 5-1-2 Sun Belt) at 7 p.m. followed by a 12 p.m. contest Sunday against Georgia Southern (6-8-1, 3-4-1 Sun Belt).

Live stats will be available for both matches while there won’t be a video stream provided for either contest. Sunday’s match will be broadcast on KTSW 89.9 FM.

Senior Day
After the conclusion of Sunday’s contest, the Bobcats will honor their six seniors with a ceremony. Being recognized will be Kathryn Budde, Kaylee Davis, Jordan Kondikoff, Heather Martin, Kalen Sanderfer and Genesis Turman.

Sun Belt Tournament Berth
Texas State enters the weekend still fighting for a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Bobcats are one of seven teams fighting for five berths this weekend as the only teams that have clinched a spot are Arkansas State, South Alabama and Troy. TXST is fourth in the standings and can clinch a berth with a win in either match. There are also multiple scenarios where the Bobcats can earn a spot in the tournament with a draw combined with other results on concerning Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Georgia Southern.

Last Weekend
TXST split its final two road matches of the regular season. The weekend began with a 2-0 win at Coastal Carolina that saw Davis score the match-winning goal less than three minutes into the contest. Adding an insurance goal late in the second half was Jessica Pikoff, which was the first of her career.

The Bobcats ended the weekend with a 1-0 setback at Georgia State with the lone goal coming a little over midway through the first half. Texas State was held to six shot attempts with only one on goal. Any offensive rhythm was stifled by the Panthers being whistled for 14 fouls with 10 coming in the final 45 minutes.

#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 Troy
The Trojans won its lone match last weekend 2-1 over Little Rock. The victory clinched them a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Troy also has conference wins over Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama and ULM, all of which came at home. When playing on the road, the Trojans are 2-2-2 overall with a 0-1-2 mark against Sun Belt opponents. Their lone loss was to Coastal Carolina while playing to 1-1 draws at Appalachian State and Arkansas State.

Nathali Dasilva leads the team with six goals while adding two assists. Melissa Kuya-Strobel has found the back of the net five times and also has two assists to her name. Kiersten Edlund comes in with four goals and 11 assists, the most in the Sun Belt and tied for the third most in the nation.

Three other players have found the back of the net three times and four others have scored two goals apiece. Overall, Troy has 38 goals that ranks as the 16th most in the country and second in the conference behind the Jaguars.

Between the posts, Haliegh Mercer has appeared in all 16 matches, starting 15 of them. She comes in having allowed 15 goals for a 0.89 GAA while making 73 saves for a .830 save percentage.

All-Time vs. Trojans
Texas State leads the all-time series 6-3-0 over Troy and have won the last three meetings. Last season, the Bobcats beat the Trojans twice. They won 3-0 on the road during the regular season with Kayla Geren scoring the opening goal and Davis adding two insurance tallies late in the second half. TXST won the first round contest of the Sun Belt Tournament 1-0 with Davis netting the long goal late in the 63rd minute off a cross form Turman with an assist also going to Haley Groff.

The last win for the Troy came on Oct. 16, 2016 at home. The Trojans came away with a 2-1 victory after netting two second half goals. Texas State’s goal came in the 17th minute when Turman headed in a corner kick from Kira Zapalac.

When playing Troy in San Marcos, the Bobcats are 3-0-0 all-time with the last match being on Oct. 20, 2017 and ending 4-2. Davis scored twice that day with other goals coming from Rachel Grout and Kassi Hormuth.

Scouting Georgia Southern
The Eagles split their final two home matches of the season. They opened with a 1-0 overtime loss to Arkansas State before rebounding to beat ULM 2-1 Sunday afternoon. The other two GS victories have been against Coastal Carolina and Georgia State while their lone draw was a scoreless contest against Little Rock. On the road this season, the Eagles are 2-5-0 with a 1-2-0 record in Sun Belt play. Prior to Sunday’s match, GS will play at Louisiana on Friday.

Frida Brattum leads the team with eight goals, 17 points, 21 shots and 16 shots on goal. Netting two goals apiece are Nora Faines, Marcela Montoya and Karin Winka. The Eagles have also been helped out by two opponents’ own goals.

Credited with a team-high four assists is Dani Coumbs. Also with multiple assists on the year are Kristin Sandifer and Montoya with two apiece.

Lauren Karinshak has stated 10 matches in goal. She has a 1.84 GAA having surrendered 19 goals and sports a .672 save percentage with 39 saves. Sallie Newton has started the last two contests between the posts and has made 11 saves for a .917 save percentage while giving up just one goal for a 0.48 GAA.

All-Time vs. Panthers
Texas State leads the all-time series 3-1-1 over Georgia Southern and have won the last two contests. Last season, the Bobcats defeated the Eagles 3-0 on the road with all three scores coming in the first half. Two were from Davis with another coming from Geren.

The last win for GS came on Sept. 25, 2016 at home by the score of 1-0 with the lone goal being scored via penalty kick.

When facing the Eagles at the Bobcat Soccer Complex, TXST is 2-0-0 all-time. The last contest in San Marcos was on Sept. 22, 2017 and saw Sydney Kammer score the only goal of the match on her birthday. The other previous meeting in San Marcos was a 3-1 contest on Oct. 25, 2015.

Pledge Goals2Cure: https://pledgeit.org/goals2cure2019
Live Stats (TROY): http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=265953
Live Stats (GS): http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=265954
Audio (GS): http://ktsw.net/apps/stream/#now
TXST Match Notes: http://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/10/24/2019_Soccer_Match_Notes_Week_10.pdf

PREVIEW: Bobcats prepared for battles in Carolinas

SAN MARCOS, Texas – A weekend with the potential to have great implications for postseason play lies ahead for the Texas State volleyball team (16-7, 8-1 Sun Belt) as they travel to the Carolinas for a pair of matches.

The Bobcats weekend will open with a 5:30 p.m. CT match Oct. 25 vs. Coastal Carolina (18-2, 8-0 Sun Belt) at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C. Texas State will conclude its trip with an 11:30 a.m. CT match Oct. 27 vs. Appalachian State (9-12, 5-3 Sun Belt) at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C.

FOLLOW ALONG

Watch at Coastal Carolina
Live Stats at Coastal Carolina – Statbroadcast
ESPN+ at Appalachian State
Live Stats at Appalachian State – Statbroadcast

SETTING THE SCENE

• Texas State enters the weekend on a six-match winning streak after putting together impressive wins last weekend vs. Troy (3-0) and South Alabama (3-1) at Strahan Arena.
• TXST sits atop the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with an 8-1 record and No. 2 overall behind Coastal Carolina (8-0).
• The Bobcats continue to make leaps in the RPI rankings and are now No. 43, nine spots ahead of last weekend’s rankings. Texas State ranks inside the top 50 in all of Division I volleyball in team service aces (134, No. 24) aces per set (1.68/set, No. 33), and opponent hitting percentage (.166, No. 35).
• In conference-only matches, the Bobcat lead the league in hitting percentage (.306), opponent hitting percentage (.108), and blocks (2.29/set). They also rank toward the top of the league in aces (2.13/set, No. 2), kills (13.674/set, No. 2), assists (12.26/set, No. 5), and digs (15.29/set, No. 6).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey paces the team with 3.47 kills per set (No. 5 in the Sun Belt) and 0.53 aces per set (No. 2 in the Sun Belt; 42 total). She also adds 2.22 digs per set and has 43 total blocks. Huskey’s 0.53 aces per set rank No. 11 in all of Division I volleyball players and her 42 total aces rank No. 10 in DI volleyball.
• Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.80 kills per set and has 40 total blocks. Fitzgerald leads the league with a .380 hitting percentage in conference-only matches and ranks No. 9 with 3.20 kills per set.
• Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott leads the team with a .347 hitting percentage (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) and leads the conference with 1.10 blocks per set. Scott has 132 total kills and a team-high nine solo blocks.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt averages 10.00 assists set which sits No. 4 in the Sun Belt and ranks No. 18 in all of DI volleyball with 790 total assists. She also breaks the top 10 of the conference with 0.34 aces per set (No. 10). DeWalt adds 2.32 digs per set, 51 kills, and 32 blocks to her season total. DeWalt was tabbed as the Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week Monday (Oct. 21).
• Sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter is over the century mark with 111 total kills and has a .274 hitting percentage. She also has 63 blocks (eight solos), and three aces. In conference-only matches, Slaughter ranks No. 5 in the league with 1.03 blocks per set.
• Junior libero Brooke Johnson leads the club with 2.61 digs per set and has 63 assists and 12 aces this season. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.17 digs per set and 18 aces in 2019. Dinwiddie is the program’s all-time leader in digs with 1,652 total in her career.

SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA

• Coastal Carolina is on a conference-best eight-match winning streak with its last loss dating back to Sept. 21 vs. Lipscomb at the Cy-Hawk Series in Iowa City, Iowa.
• The Chanticleers are 3-0 at home this season and are coming off of a 3-0 victory vs. Appalachian State.
• CCU has a strong offense that leads the country with 2.23 aces per set and leads the conference with a .282 hitting percentage. They also rank No. 3 in the league in assists (12.01/set) and blocks (2.08/set), and rank No. 4 in kills (12.93/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.180). They are last with 12.5 digs per set.
• Sophomore outside hitter Anett Nemeth is the league’s leader with 4.33 kills per set and is this week’s Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Nemeth is among the league’s overall top performers as she hits .345 (No. 3 in the Sun Belt), and averages 0.42 aces per set (No. 5 in the Sun Belt). She also averages 1.88 digs per set and has 49 total blocks, including one solo.
• Junior middle hitter Kyla Manning is another offensive threat that ranks in the top 10 of the Sun Belt Conference in hitting percentage (.293, No. 9) and aces (0.37/set, No. 8) while adding 2.89 kills per set. Manning has also logged 24 total blocks, including a team-high 14 solo blocks.
• Standout Freshman setter Brigitta Petrenko ranks No. 3 in the Sun Belt with 10.53 assists per set but leads the league with 43 total aces (0.58/set). Petrenko also has 48 kills and 21 blocks in 2019. She is this week’s Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week.
• Freshman libero Lina Perugini paces the team defense with 3.81 digs per set (No. 10 in the Sun Belt) and sophomore middle Christina Nance anchors the team with 64 total blocks (0.94). Perugini has eight aces on the year and Nance has registered 60 kills this season.

SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE

• After opening league play 5-0, Appalachian State has lost its last three matches with two of the losses coming at the hands of Coastal Carolina. App State has a 3-3 record as the home team.
• Overall, App State ranks No. 4 in the Sun Belt with 1.49 aces per set and No. 5 with 12.85 kills per set and 11.73 assists per set. Otherwise, the Mountaineers are towards the bottom half of the league in digs (14.87/set, No. 7), hitting percentage (.196, No. 8), opponent hitting percentage (.215, No. 11), and blocks (1.55/set, No. 11).
• Senior outside hitter Emma Longley leads the team with 4.05 kills per set (No. 3 in the Sun Belt). She also averages 2.27 digs per set and has 31 blocks (11 solos) and two aces this season.
• Junior middle blocker Kara Spicer also ranks in the top 10 of the league’s leaders with 3.05 kills per set (No. 10), and her .337 hitting percentage that leads the team ranks No. 4 in the SBC. Spicer paces the team with 65 total blocks and adds 18 aces to her season totals.
• Freshman setter Sam Bickley averages 10.55 assists per set (No. 2 in the Sun Belt) and adds 1.91 digs per set, 34 kills, 27 blocks, and 13 aces.
• Junior libero Emma Reilly not only leads the conference with 4.91 digs per set, but she also paces the team with 0.52 aces per set (41 total) that ranks No. 3 in the league. Reilly also has 41 assists and seven kills.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bobcats are a combined 8-6 vs. Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State. TXST trails 2-3 in head-to-head meetings vs. CCU but are 6-3 all-time vs. App State.
• Texas State has won the last two regular-season meetings vs. Coastal Carolina including a 3-1 victory last season led by DeWalt’s double-double performance (42 assists, 19 digs). DeWalt also had four kills and four blocks, while Huskey landed 11 kills in the match.
• The Bobcats have had the Mountaineers number and have won four consecutive matches, including the title match in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Tournament (3-0). TXST has three consecutive sweeps vs. App State which include the match in 2017 at the Holmes Center.

DeWalt earns Sun Belt weekly award

NEW ORLEANS – Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt picked up her first Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week accolade for the 2019 season announced by the league office Monday afternoon. She becomes the third Bobcat to win a weekly award this season.

DeWalt had a solid week playing quarterback for the Bobcats as she directed the offense with 12.43 assists per set and led the team with four aces to help extend their winning streak to six matches. DeWalt also finished with 1.86 digs per set, six kills, and four blocks.

The Helotes, Texas native totaled 38 assists, three blocks, and two aces in the sweep vs. Troy and concluded the weekend with 49 assists, nine digs, and two more aces in the 3-1 victory vs. South Alabama.

Although this is DeWalt’s first conference weekly award this season, she has 12 career-weekly plaudits overall after setting a league record with 11 accolades in the 2018 campaign. This is DeWalt’s seventh career setter of the week award for the Sun Belt Conference.

Texas State has a big weekend ahead that starts with a 5:30 p.m. C.T. serve Oct. 25 at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. who is a perfect 8-0 in Sun Belt Conference matches.

The Bobcats weekend will conclude in the mountains with an 11:30 a.m. C.T. match Oct. 27 at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.

Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week
Anett Nemeth, So., OH, Coastal Carolina

Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week
Lacey Jeffcoat, So., Libero, Troy

Sun Belt Setter of the Week
Emily DeWalt, So., S, Texas State

Sun Belt Freshman of the Week
Brigitta Petrenko, Fr., S, Coastal Carolina

Bobcats fare well at the Arturo Barrios Invitational

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In the final regular-season meet of the year, the Texas State cross country women’s team placed 16th, while the men finished 17th at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at the Dale Watts (’71) Cross Country Course Oct. 19.

The women averaged a 22:42.75 time with 454 points in the 6K race, and the men shaved off roughly 23 seconds from their 8k time ran at the Chile Pepper Festival Oct. 5 with a 25:25.91 time on Saturday. The men totaled 418 points.

Junior Sydney Cole paced the way for the Bobcats as she finished the race in 21:59.0 for 62nd place and freshman Riley McGrath finished 65th with a 22:01.3 time.

Senior Abby Steinhauser placed 78th as she crossed the finish line at 22:14.2, junior Tina Sierra ran a 22:19.0 for 83rd place, and senior Allyson Godfrey rounded out the top five with a 25:00.3 time (166th place).

Senior Johen Deleon crossed the finish line in the top 40, stopping the clock at 24:44.7 for 38th place.

Junior Justin Botello followed with a 59th place finish after running a 25:02.2 time, and junior Cade Michael placed 65th with a 25:08.8 time to complete the list of Bobcats who finished inside the top 100. Freshman Pedro Osorio Lopez (26:06.0) and sophomore Travian Holst (26:07.8) concluded the top five for the men with 127th and 129th finishes, respectively.

Next up for the Bobcats is the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships Nov. 2 in Hampton, Ga.