Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Find Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball & Men’s Basketball

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball, Men’s Basketball

Bobcats Play to 1-1 Draw at New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Texas State soccer team concluded its first road trip of the season by playing to a 1-1 draw at New Mexico State Sunday afternoon at the NM State Soccer Athletic Complex.

With the draw, the Bobcats are now 4-1-1 on the season while the Aggies see their record go to 1-2-2.

The match started out as a defensive affair as neither team took a shot until early in the 13th minute by NSMU’s Corey Kizer. Genesis Turman took the Bobcats first shot attempt two minutes later, sending it wide of the right post.

Kamaria Williams had TXST’s first good look on frame late in the 22nd minute. Her attempt was pushed out of bounds by the Aggies’ goalkeeper to keep the contest scoreless.

Nearly halfway through the 40th minute, Haley Groff headed home a cross from the right side to put the Bobcats in front 1-0 for her first goal of the season. Jessica Pikoff sent in the cross to record her first assist in exactly two years.

The Aggies knotted the score less than a minute into the second half as Shea O’Connor recorded her second goal of the season off an assist from Xitlaly Hernandez.

In the 66th minute, Renny Moore unleashed a shot to the top right corner but saw NMSU’s keeper make a leaping stop.

A great opportunity for the Bobcats came in the 69th minute. A corner kick by Moore found Groff, who’s attempt was blocked. Avery Theis was there for a follow up attempt but another diving stop kept the score tied.

The final 20 seconds of regulation saw Kathryn Budde make her fifth save of the half. With a second left on the clock, Kamaria Williams unleashed a shot that cleared the crossbar.

In the first extra period, the Aggies placed two shots on frame with Budde stopping both attempts. The lone shot on goal for TXST came from Jordan Kondikoff late in the 93rd minute and was saved by NMSU’s Dmitri Fong.

The teams combined to take five shots in the second 10-minute overtime period with none being on goal. All three of the Aggies’ attempts came off their two corner kicks. Texas State’s shots came from Mackenzie Smith and Kondikoff but both were blocked by a defender.

TXST held a 20-18 advantage on shots while NMSU led 10-7 in shots on goal. The Bobcats did attempt 10 corner kicks with seven coming in the first 45 minutes.

Groff led the Bobcats and matched her career-high with four shots, placing two on goal. Both Kondikoff and Williams attempted three shots apiece. Taking two shots each were Kaylee Davis, Kayla Streber and Smith.

Heather Martin started between the posts and made two saves in the first half. Budde played the final 65 minutes and made a career-high seven saves. The San Antonio native also moved into ninth place in TXST history for goalie minutes played at 1,285 and surpassing Deborah Ross (2008-11).

Next up for Texas State is a trip to Natchitoches, Louisiana to take on Northwestern State at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6873&path=wsoc

Huskey, DeWalt tabbed to Mizuno Classic All-Tournament Team

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey and sophomore setter Emily DeWalt represented the Texas State volleyball team by being named to the Mizuno Classic All-Tournament Team this weekend.

Huskey led the team with 3.18 kills per set and logged eight service aces in the tournament. She also averaged 2.82 digs per set tallied five blocks and two assists. DeWalt led the offense with 9.82 assists per set and averaged 2.27 digs per set. DeWalt recorded five blocks as well and added four kills and two aces.

The Bobcats entered the Mizuno Classic with an 0-9 all-time series record vs. the field and came out of the tournament with a 2-1 mark. TXST opened the tournament with a 3-2 victory over tournament host Long Beach State Sept. 5, fell to UCLA 3-0 Sept. 6 and captured its first sweep of the season by dominating Georgia Sept. 7. Texas State finished second in the tournament behind UCLA who was a perfect 3-0. Long Beach State was 1-2 in the tournament and Georgia finished 1-3.

Texas State continues its six-match road trip Sept. 12-13 when they travel to compete in the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station. The Bobcats will have a 6 p.m. match vs. Texas A&M Sept. 12 and will play two matches on Sept. 13 vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley (12:30 p.m.) and Northwestern State (5 p.m.).

Mizuno Classic All-Tournament Team

• MVP: Mac May – UCLA
• Savvy Simo – UCLA
• Kelli Barry – UCLA
• Cheyenne Huskey – Texas State
• Emily DeWalt – Texas State
• Hailey Harward – LBSU
• Kianna Young – Georgia

Break out the Broom, Bobcats sweep Georgia to conclude Cali road trip

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Texas State volleyball team secured its first sweep of the season by downing SEC opponent Georgia 26-24, 25-19, 25-19 Saturday evening at Walter Pyramid. The Bobcats (3-4) concluded the Mizuno Classic with a 2-1 record, defeating both Georgia and tournament host, Long Beach State.

“I am extremely proud,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “The Sun Belt just buried the SEC with this win. Our blocking was much improved. Everyone did a great job on that front line and our bench is getting deeper and more experienced. I am pleased with where we are.”

The Bobcats put together their best performance of the year as they recorded season-highs in hitting percentage (.271) and total blocks (14) and held Georgia (3-3) to an opponent season-low .154 hitting percentage and two blocks. The Bulldogs did accumulate more kills (42-35), assists (41-34) and digs (46-37) than the Bobcats and both teams finished with four aces.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey turned in a double-double with a team-high 11 kills and 10 digs, while also pacing the team with three aces. Huskey also had two blocks. Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald had double-figure kills for the second straight match and registered six blocks. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt filed the box score with 29 assists, seven digs, four blocks, two kills, and one ace, and senior libero Micah Dinwiddie matched Huskey’s 10 digs. Other key contributors for the Maroon and Gold was sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who had a match-high seven blocks and added two kills and two digs, and junior middle Tyeranee Scott who had six blocks and five kills in the win.

Junior middle blocker Kianna Young led the Dawgs with 12 kills on 21 attacks and three errors for a .429 hitting percentage and also tallied one ace. Both sophomores outside hitter Kayla Rivera and middle blocker Sage Naves each had six kills and senior setter Meghan Donovan flirted with a double-double with 37 assists, nine digs, and had one kill. Junior libero Kendall Glover had a match-high 13 digs and freshman Kaci Evans matched Huskey’s three service aces.

Set 1
Texas State built a 16-10 lead that was highlighted by a 5-0 stretch to force a pair of Georgia timeouts. The Maroon and Gold led by as many as seven points, but the Dawgs fought back and ultimately tied the match at 24 before an attacking error and big block by Fitzgerald and Slaughter ended the set 26-24, Bobcats.

Set 2
Texas State had a pair of aces and Georgia attacking errors to help gain an early 9-3 advantage, and kept the momentum rolling to a 19-14 lead late in the frame. Although the Dawgs scored five of the next eight points, The Bobcats scored the final three points capped off by a kill by Huskey for the 25-19 victory.

Set 3
The third set was a tight one that saw five ties but just two lead changes. When TXST led the set 14-11, Georgia reeled off four points to take the lead and force a Bobcat timeout. After the break the Bobcats scored four of the next six to regain the lead 18-17 and ended the set with a 9-2 run to sweep the Dawgs 25-19.

Texas State continues its six-match road trip Sept. 12-13 when they travel to compete in the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station. The Bobcats will have a 6 p.m. match vs. Texas A&M Sept. 12, and will play two matches on Sept. 13 vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley (12:30 p.m.) and Northwestern State (5 p.m.).

Soccer’s Unbeaten Streak Snapped on the Road at UTEP

EL PASO, Texas – The Texas State soccer team fell 2-1 at UTEP Friday night on the University Field to see its 17-match unbeaten streak come to an end.

With the result, the Bobcats fall to 4-1 on the season while the Miners are now 2-1-2.

The match was back and forth mostly in the middle of the field for the first 19 minutes. After winning a corner, Renny Moore sent the kick into the box and it was headed into the left portion of the net by MacKenzie Smith for an early 1-0 advantage.

Late in the first half, UTEP was able to place three shots on goal but all of them were straight at Heather Martin for easy stops.

With just under a 45 seconds left on the clock the Miners won a free kick in their offensive half. The ensuing kick into the box saw Martin go to punch it way but get taken out by a UTEP player. Just before a Bobcat could clear the ball, Lauren Crensahw cut in front of a TXST player and purposely fell down that drew the refs whistle for a penalty kick. The spot kick was converted by Crenshaw to tie the contest 1-1 with 11 second left in the period.

The Miners came out in control of the ball to start the second half as they took three shots in the first seven minutes. Only one was one target and was easily stopped by Martin.

Pressure was put on UTEP by the Bobcats with three corner kicks and shots but were unable to find the back of the net.

A long ball was played over the TXST backline and saw Jojo Ngongo hold it up near the end line just inside the six-yard box. Her pass back out to the far side of the field found an oncoming Kami Fisher, who placed a lower shot into the lower left corner to go in front 2-1.

The Bobcats were only able to get off two more shots in the match with one each from Kaylee Davis and Genesis Turman.

Davis led Texas State with three shots and Moore was the only other Bobcat with multiple attempts with two.

Martin made six saves for the second straight match. The 23 consecutive appearances of allowing zero or one goal came to an end for the Midlothian, Texas native.

Next up for the Bobcats is a road match at New Mexico State on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?id=6871&path=wsoc.

Bobcats battle Bruins tough

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Albeit a sweep, the Texas State volleyball team competed tough in the 3-0 (24-26, 18-25, 23-25) decision vs. UCLA Friday evening at Walter Pyramid.

“I thought we battled pretty well,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “They beat us on the serve and pass game and I think the biggest disappointment was that we had an opportunity in two sets and we just could not put them away. Other than that, I was excited to get Caitlan [Buettner] and Rylie [Fuentes] in the match to see what they got. I think they will help us down the road.”

The Bobcats (2-4) challenged its second Pac-12 opponent of the 2019 season despite suffering their third sweep in four matches. The Bruins (2-2) logged an opponent season-high .303 hitting percentage vs. the Maroon and Gold, who hit .195 and won the battle at the net with eight blocks to the Bobcats’ six. UCLA had four more digs (46-42) and one more service ace than TXST (4-3), but the Bobcats edged its opponent in assists 40-39. Both teams tallied 41 kills.

In just her second match back from a minor injury, sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the Bobcats with 12 kills. She was the only player wearing maroon with double-figure kills and recorded a .233 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey had nine kills, five digs and an ace, and sophomore middle blocker Jillian Slaughter had an efficient night with seven kills on 18 swings and one error (.333). She was outdone by junior middle Tyeranee Scott, in terms of hitting percentage, who registered a .455 behind five kills on 11 swings with no errors. Scott led the team with three blocks. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt had 32 assists, eight digs, and two kills, while junior DS Brooke Johnson had a team-best nine digs and one ace.

The UCLA offense ran through junior outside hitter Mac May who for the second consecutive match was the only Bruin to register 10 or more kills. May concluded the match with 17 kills and three aces which were both match-highs. She also added seven digs and three blocks. Classmate Jenny Mosser followed with seven kills and a .385 attack percentage, and senior outside Savvy Simo had six kills to go along with her 10 digs. UCLA ran a 6-2 offense that saw sophomore setters Devon Chang and Hawley Harrer record 19 and 18 assists, respectively. Sophomore libero Kelli Barry led the match with 11 digs. 

Set 1
The Bobcats opened by scoring three of the first five points in the match before UCLA scored four-in-a-row to grab a 6-3 lead. With the lead growing 14-8, the Bobcats went on a 4-1 run highlighted by consecutive strikes by Fitzgerald to force a Bruins timeout. Texas State continued the run on the other side of the timeout that included a 5-0 run to gain its first lead of the match at 17-16. UCLA quickly responded with a 3-0 run and despite the Bobcats having set point, the Bruins scored the final four points to win the set, 26-24.

Set 2
The Bruins controlled set two from the beginning by jumping out to a 6-2 start. The Bobcat put together a 4-1 run towards the middle of the set, but it was all UCLA as they put the exclamation point on a 25-18 set win behind a late 7-3 run to end the frame.

Set 3
Texas State got off to a strong start as they took a 7-3 lead behind four kills and an ace and held a five-point lead roughly halfway through the set at 13-8. From that point, UCLA made their move and scored four of the next five points to trim the visiting team’s lead down to 14-12. Texas State answered with four unanswered points to go-ahead 18-12, but UCLA stormed back with a 10-4 margin to tie the set at 22. UCLA’s May took over for the rest of the set as she scored the remaining three points needed to seal the win.

The Bobcats will conclude the Mizuno Classic with a 6:30 p.m. CT serve vs. Georgia Saturday evening.

Bobcats play spoiler in five-set victory over Long Beach State

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Texas State volleyball team got back in the win column after a come-from-behind triumph vs. Long Beach State in five sets (25-17, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 17-15) to open the Mizuno Classic Thursday night at Walter Pyramid.

“I think the key was our energy and our belief tonight,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “These kids were hungry. They needed it, they wanted it and they came together as a team. Many stepped like Kenedi [Rutherford] and I thought Cheyenne [Huskey] and Emily [DeWalt] played pretty consistently tonight. I am just so proud of them all and the overall team effort we had tonight.”

The Bobcats (2-3) put to rest a three-match losing streak by defeating the Sharks (2-2) for the first time in program history (1-2 all-time). The TXST offense had a better performance although they were still outhit .244-.215 and had three fewer kills than LBSU (60-57). The Bobcats did register more digs than the Sharks (56-52) and had six aces to The Beach’s four. Both teams logged season-highs in service errors and The Beach had the advantage in blocks, 9-3.

Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey turned in her eighth career double-double and first this season with 15 kills and a season-high 16 digs. Huskey also had a season-best four aces. Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott and sophomore outside hitter Kenedi Rutherford each had 11 kills, a season-best for both, and two digs. Scott had two blocks which led the team. Sophomore Emily DeWalt secured another double-double with 47 assists and 10 digs, and also added an ace. Senior libero Micah Dinwiddie recorded a season-high 19 digs.

Long Beach State had three players who had double figures in kills, including sophomore Allison Martinez who had a match-high 16 kills. Martinez also had three digs, one ace and one assist. Sophomore outside hitter Kashauna Wiliams had 14 kills and three blocks, and senior middle blocker YiZhi Xue logged 11 kills and three blocks. Freshman setter Tia Chavira had 42 assists to lead The Beach and senior libero Hailey Harward led the team with 25 digs.

Set 1
Texas State used a 4-1 run to create space and force a Long Beach State timeout with the visitors leading 15-11. It did not help much, however, as the Bobcats poured on another 5-1 burst, giving the team a 20-12 lead and creating another timeout for LBSU. Although The Beach made a late push in the set, the Bobcats took the opening stanza 25-17 capped off with back-to-back aces from Huskey.

Set 2
The offense struggled in the second as they hit .029 after a .323 first set. Long Beach State grabbed the momentum early by taking a 12-9 lead and though the Bobcats trimmed the opponent’s margin 16-14, the Sharks reeled off four unanswered points for a 20-14 advantage, making TXST call its second timeout of the frame. The home team went on to even the match one set apiece after a 25-18 victory.

Set 3
Texas State never held a lead in the third set as Long Beach scored five of the first seven points. The Bobcats cut the deficit to as little as two but was never able to get over the hump. A 4-2 run for the Sharks gave them a 25-20 set win and 2-1 match lead.

Set 4
The fourth set featured 12 ties and five lead changes. Down 18-16, the Bobcats went on a 9-2 run, including a 5-0 margin to force a fifth set. Rutherford had a big set with five kills and Huskey scored two of the final three points with a pair of aces. The combo scored five of the final six Bobcat points.

Set 5
An intense back-and-forth set with nine ties and one lead change resulted in a thrilling 17-15 victory for the Bobcats. Tied at 12, sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter found the floor to give TXST its first and final lead of the frame. Long Beach would tie the set three more times, but Huskey took over late with a kill for the 16-15 point and joined Scott for the block to ice the game.

Next up for Texas State at the Mizuno Classic is a clash with UCLA who picked up its first win of the season by sweeping Georgia. The Bobcats will challenge the Bruins at 7 p.m. CT Friday night.

Men’s Basketball hosts 2019 student tryout informational

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State men’s basketball will be holding an informational meeting for tryouts at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 10 in room 210 G of the University Events Center (UEC).

To be eligible for tryouts, students must download and fill out the Student-Athlete Tryout Form and submit to the men’s basketball office (UEC 210) by 5 p.m. Sept. 20.

In addition to the paperwork, the students must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a full-time student (minimum 12 hours during the Fall 2018 semester) at Texas State University.
• Must hold and maintain a 2.5 GPA.

Please submit the following documents by Sept. 20:

• Student-athlete tryout form
• Fall 2018 class schedule
• Copies of all college transcripts (if applicable)
• Records of physical within the past six months
• Medical history questionnaire
• Copy of insurance card (front and back)
• Signed Non-Scholarship Athlete Insurance Agreement Form

For any other questions or concerns, contact men’s basketball director of basketball operations Alex Hausladen at 512-245-2985 or by email at ahausladen@txstate.edu.

Rice Upends Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – An in-state match Tuesday evening at Strahan Arena did not fare well for the Texas State volleyball team (1-3) who was shutout by Rice (3-0) 13-25, 10-25, 21-25.

The Bobcats have not lost three straight matches since opening the 2018 season and Tuesday marked the first time the Cats fell three consecutive times at home since 2012.

The reigning Sun Belt Champions continued their offensive struggles as they hit a season-low -.049 vs. the Owl’s .260 and did not record an ace for the first time this year. The Bobcats did tie with the Owls with 37 digs, however, they were beat at the net with one block compared to their opponent’s eight.

For the third time this season, senior outside Cheyenne Huskey led Texas State in kills (7) and she added one block. Junior outside Kenedi Rutherford registered six kills and sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter and freshman outside hitter Courtney Heiser each had four kills on the night. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt had a team-best 18 assists and junior defensive specialist Brooke Johnson paced the team with 10 digs.

Rice was led by 2019 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Nicole Lennon who had a .406 attack percentage behind 14 kills on 32 swings and one error. The junior outside hitter also had one ace. Senior Morgan Grace put down six kills on 11 attacks, leading the team with a .545 with no errors to go along with four blocks, and graduate transfer Tabitha Brown matched TXST’s Johnson with a match-high 10 digs but also added a match-best three aces. Junior outside Kassidy Muse led all players with five blocks.

The all-time series is now 18-18-1 with Rice ending Texas State’s three-match winning streak. The Bobcats are now 6-4 vs. the Owls in the last 10 meetings.

Set 1
The teams went back-and-forth early in the set, but with the score tied at eight, Texas State gave up four points behind three attacking errors. After a kill by Heiser to get back on track, a service error followed by another attack error forced the Bobcats to call timeout down 14-10. Out of the timeout, Rice scored four of the next six points to make the home team huddle up again and closed the set on a 7-1 run to win the set, 25-13.

Set 2
The Bobcats opened the set with a kill from Buettner and after the Owls received a free gift on the service error, Huskey found the floor to put the home team back on top. Rice tied it up again with a kill but returned the favor with a service error, giving Texas State a 3-2 advantage. It was all Rice from there as they went on an 8-1 run to force the Bobcats into their first timeout of the set. The visitors continued to roll and took a 2-0 match lead after the 25-10 frame.

Set 3
In what was the most competitive set of the night, the Owls pulled away late, anchored by Lennon’s six kills. TXST fought tough in the stanza and scored two unanswered points with match-point on the board, but the 32nd attacking error cut the comeback short at the Bobcats fell 25-21.

Texas State will embark on a six-match road trip, staring with the Mizuno Classic hosted by Long Beach State Sept. 5-7 in Long Beach, Calif.

Davis and Martin Named Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week

NEW ORLEANS – After big performances on the pitch this past weekend, Texas State’s Kaylee Davis and Heather Martin were recognized as the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. It is the seventh career weekly accolade for Martin and is Davis’ fifth.

Davis netted all three goals for the Bobcats as they improved to 4-0, the best start through four matches in program history. She netted the lone goal in early in the 12th minute off a free kick from Sarah Everett against I-35 rival UTSA.

The Allen, Texas native followed by recording her eight career brace, the first against a non-Sun Belt program, in a 2-1 overtime victory over Houston Baptist on TXST’s annual Teal Match. Both tallies came from the penalty spot as she became the first Bobcat ever to convert two penalty kicks in a match.

With her two match-winning goals, Davis now has 11 in her career at Texas State to move into third on the program’s career list. She also jumped into a tie for fourth in career shots with Jaynee Sherman (2001-04).

Davis shared the conference’s weekly award with South Alabama’s Briana Morris, who also scored three goals as the Jaguars defeated Stetson and UAB.

Between the posts, Martin made nine saves and allowed one goal combined in the two matches. She began the weekend by making three saves to post her 16th career shutout, tied for the second-most in TXST history with Mandi Mawyer (2007-09), in a 1-0 win at UTSA.

Martin followed with a season-high six-save performance in a 2-1 victory over the Huskies Sunday night. The lone goal that was allowed snapped a personal shutout streak of 406:21 minutes dating back to last season.

Going back to the start of the 2018 season, Martin has allowed either zero or one goal in 23 straight appearances.

Davis and Martin join Genesis Turman in bringing home a weekly conference award this season.

The Bobcats hit the road for two matches this weekend beginning with an 8 p.m. CT match at UTEP on Friday before facing New Mexico State on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.