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

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Bobcat Football, Volleyball & Soccer

Texas State prevails, 37-34, in triple overtime over Georgia State

Joshua Rowland Postgrame | ESPN+ Postgame Reaction | Jake Spavital Postgame | Bryan London Postgame | Caleb Twyford Postgame | ESPN+ Replay | Top Plays | Game Winning Kick

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State football team (1-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) earned a hard-fought 37-34 victory in triple overtime over the Georgia State Panthers (2-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) on Saturday night at Bobcat Stadium.

The victory marked the first in the Jake Spavital era and was the first conference home victory since defeating ULM by a score of 16-3 on Nov. 19, 2015.

BOX SCORE

• Sophomore running back Caleb Twyford carried the load offensively for the Bobcats with 119 yards rushing on 22 carries. He became the first Bobcat tailback since Anthony D. Taylor gained 102 yards against ULM on Oct. 7, 2017 to amass 100 yards on the ground.

• The Bobcats totaled 205 yards rushing on 40 carries. Taylor tallied 54 yards on 15 carries and a pair of touchdowns in the victory.

• Senior linebacker Bryan London II stuffed the box score with a career-best 22 tackles (10 solo stops), one sack and one tackle for loss. London joined Bobcat great, and current New York Giant linebacker, David Mayo as the only Bobcats to secure 20-plus tackles in a single game. Mayo compiled two such games in his storied career. London tied Mayo for the program record in a single game.

• Georgia State registered 42 rushing attempts for 204 yards. Sophomore running back Destin Coates led the charge with 18 carries for 93 yards and one score.

KEY MOMENTS

• Georgia State scored the first touchdown of the game on a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Senior quarterback Dan Ellington picked up a critical conversion with a 27-yard pitch-and-catch on a 3rd and 15 to sustain the drive. Ellington delivered a 17-yard touchdown strike two plays later to put GSU up 7-3 with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter.

• Sophomore wide receiver Javen Banks gave the Bobcats the 10-7 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter after diving on a fumbled punt return in the endzone from the Panthers. The special teams touchdown scored in the first quarter was the first for the Bobcats since Brandon Smith took a kickoff 95 yards to the house against Louisiana on Oct. 10, 2015.

• Ellington tossed his second scoring pass of the game with 9:09 to play in the second quarter. He found junior tight end Aubry Payne wide open in the flat for the five-yard score. The score remained 14-10 in favor of the road team until Taylor punched in his first of two rushing scores with 3:43 to play in the half.

• The second score from Taylor put the Bobcats up 27-24 with 4:56 to play in the game. He scampered off the right side of the offensive line and into the endzone from 20 yards out.

• GSU chipped in a 20-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.

• The Panthers struck first in OT on a 14-yard pass from Ellington to freshman wide out Sam Pinkney. Junior quarterback Gresch Jensen answered the score with a one-yard touchdown on the QB-keeper.

• Both teams missed field goal attempts in the second overtime period before Georgia State missed a second FG attempt in the third OT. Graduate transfer Joshua Rowland knocked in the winning 35-yard field goal at the end of the third overtime.

NOTABLES

• London became the sixth player in Bobcat football history to record 200-plus career solo tackles. He ranks fifth in program history with 208 solo stops during his prolific career. He is tied for fourth in school history with 388 total tackles.

• Senior wide receiver Hutch White hauled in four receptions to move into the top spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings with 27 catches this season.

• Texas State became the first home team to win in the series since Georgia State took the 41-21 on Oct. 8, 2016. The Bobcats now lead the series 4-3 over the Panthers.

• The 112 rushing yards from Twyford marked the most rushing yards for a Bobcat running back since Tyler Siudzinski recorded 170 yards on the ground at Idaho on Nov. 28, 2015.

• The Texas State defense forced 18 turnovers (1.5 per game) during the 2018 season. This season, the Cats defense has earned nine takeaways (2.3 per game) through four contests.

• Senior offensive lineman made his 39th consecutive start for the Bobcats. He has started all but one contest in his collegiate career. Freshman cornerback Khambrail Winters recorded his first career start.’

QUOTES FROM THE SIDELINE

~ “I could not be prouder of this team and how they just battled,” coach Spavital said. “The message all week was about who would want it more. This was the most complimentary football game we have played. That is what we have to do to have success.”

Bobcats sweep Sam Houston State, 2019 Creeds & Crests Classic

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team were crowned the 2019 Creeds & Crests Classic champions after handling Sam Houston State in straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-17) Saturday afternoon at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats (8-5) swept the tournament field (3-0) and extends its win streak to five matches.

“I am pleased with our play this weekend and glad to be here at Strahan Arena. Our crowds have been great, and we are lucky to be opening conference play next weekend at home,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “On the court, we are playing very well offensively and doing good things defensively as well. Some would say we got off to a rocky start, but I scheduled tough at the beginning and we still have a big match with No. 5 Baylor coming up. But right now, having a five-match winning streak boosts the team’s confidence as we enter the next phase of the season.”

The Bobcats won the tournament title for the second consecutive year led by tournament MVP senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey who totaled 3.20 kills per set and eight aces in the tournament. Joining her on the Creeds & Crests All-Tournament Team was middle blocker Tyeranee Scott and sophomore setter Emily DeWalt. Scott turned in 3.00 kills per set and led the team with 13 total blocks, while DeWalt averaged 11.4 assists and 2.00 digs per set, while also producing eight kills, five aces, and four blocks.

In the match vs. Sam Houston State (4-8), the Bobcats hit .301 marking the first time the team has had back-to-back matches with a hitting percentage .300 or better and the team totaled 45 kills, 43 assists, 42 digs, nine blocks, and four aces. Scott went off for a career-high 15 kills on 24 swings with only three errors (.500). Scott also matched a career-best seven blocks (two solos) set earlier this season. Huskey followed with nine kills and paced the team with two aces while also adding three digs and two blocks. DeWalt logged 42 assists, six digs, two kills, an ace, and a block, and junior libero Brooke Johnson had a team-high 12 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Samantha Rodgers led the Bearkats with 10 kills followed by junior outside Ashley Lewis who had eight kills and a team-high three blocks. Senior libero Addison Miller had a match-high 15 digs and senior defensive specialist Ashleigh Traylor tied with Huskey for a match-high two aces. SHSU hit .124 on the day with 32 kills and 20 errors on 97 swings, and totaled 39 digs, 29 assists, four blocks and three aces.

Set 1
The Bobcats opened the set with a 12-8 advantage led by Scott’s five kills. After the first Bearkat timeout, both teams exchanged runs and the visiting team trimmed the lead down to one at 23-22, but the Bobcats scored the final two points with a kill from freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske and a ball-handling error by SHSU. Scott led the team with nine kills on 10 errorless swings in the frame.

Set 2
Texas State went wire-to-wire to win the second set. They first jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, however, Sam Houston State climbed back into the game with a 15-11 spurt, bringing the score to 17-16.  The Maroon and Gold responded with a 5-0 run and ultimately closed the set with a 9-4 margin for the 25-19 victory.

Set 3
The Bearkats scored the first three points of the stanza, but the Bobcats rattled off seven consecutive points and took a 13-6 lead before SHSU finally called for a timeout. Although the Bearkats found some offense in the set, the hill was too high to climb, and the Bobcats took the set 25-17.

Texas State will have a quick turnaround as they travel north of I-35 to challenge No. 5 Baylor at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 at the Ferrell Center. The Bobcats will return home Sept. 27 to open the Sun Belt Conference schedule with a 6:30 p.m. match vs. Louisiana.

Creeds & Crests Classic All-Tournament Team

MVP – Cheyenne Huskey, Sr., OH, Texas State
Tyeranee Scott, Jr., MB, Texas State
Emily DeWalt, So., S, Texas State
Elise Smith, So., OH/MB, Sam Houston State
Breanne Chausse, So., OH/RS, Sam Houston State
Brianna McCulloch, Sr., OH, UTSA
Jaimeson Lee, Sr., S, George Washington

Creeds & Crests Classic Team Records

Texas State  —  3-0
Sam Houston State  —  1-2
UTSA  —  1-2
George Washington  —  1-2

Creeds & Crests Classic Tournament Results

Texas State def. UTSA  —  3-1
George Washington def. Sam Houston State  —  3-2
Sam Houston State def. UTSA  —  3-2
Texas State def. George Washington  —  3-0
UTSA def. George Washington  —  3-0
Texas State def. Sam Houston State  —  3-0

Bobcats cruise past George Washington in three

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team turned in its third sweep of the 2019 campaign with a dominating performance over George Washington Friday night at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats are now 7-5 on the year and are on a four-match winning streak.

“That was a complete game,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We had the best performance of the season offensively and I thought we played pretty good defense too. Our kids needed this not only for their confidence, but to recognize that when we do not have all of those silly errors, we are going to be very good.”

The Bobcats outplayed the Colonials (6-6) in every statistical measure, highlighted by a season-best .434 hitting percentage with 39 kills on 76 swings and only six errors. Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey led the charge for the home team with a season-high .591 clip, logging 13 kills on 22 errorless swings. Huskey also paced the team with eight digs and added one ace. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt had a solid night directing the ship with 31 assists and matched her season-high of three aces to go along with four digs and three blocks. Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott led the team in blocks for the fifth time this season with four and chipped in seven kills in the sweep.

In the rough outing for the Colonials, the team hit .012 and mustered only two blocks in the setback. Senior outside hitter Skylar Iott led the team with seven kills and was followed by graduate outside Paty Valle who had six kills. Senior setter Jaimeson Lee led the team with 15 assists, nine digs, and two aces, while graduate middle blocker had a team-high two kills and matched Lee’s two aces.

Set 1
After a tight beginning to the frame, the Bobcats used a massive 14-2 rally halfway through the set to lead the Colonials 20-11. Texas State went on to score five of the final seven points to win the opening set 25-13.

Set 2
George Washington had no answers for the Bobcats as they opened the stanza with a 12-6 advantage and grew their margin to as many as 11 with the count at 21-10. The Colonials scored a few late points but ultimately fell 25-17. Texas State never trailed in the second set.

Set 3
The Bobcats continued to roll in the third frame and did not relinquish the lead again after an ace by senior defensive specialist Rylie Fuentes put them ahead 5-4.  When the score was tied at nine, TXST hit another gear and rattled off 11 unanswered points to take a commanding 21-9 lead and won the set 25-12.

The Bobcats will conclude the Creeds & Crests Classic tomorrow with a 2 p.m. match vs. Sam Houston State.

Hometown kids, transfer help lift Bobcats over UTSA

SAN MARCOS, Texas – San Antonio ties propel the Texas State volleyball team to a tight 3-1 victory (25-21, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20) over I-35 rival UTSA Thursday night at Strahan Arena. The win puts the Bobcats over .500 (6-5) and ends a three-match losing streak at home.

“That was scrappy. Anytime Texas State and UTSA get into a volleyball match that is what you will see,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “I am extremely proud of the grit we showed in every game. What was really fun is that [Lauren] Teske, Jill Slaughter and Emily [DeWalt] are all San Antonio kids, and Kenedi [Rutherford] transferred from there [UTSA], so they played with and against those girls for years. There was some incentive for them personally and extra competitiveness and I am proud of their performances. It was fun.”

Despite being outhit by the Roadrunners (6-5) .201-.159, the Bobcats came out on top winning the battle in total kills (53-50), assists (51-47), digs (71-64), blocks (8-6), and aces (7-3). Texas State improves to 59-14 all-time vs. UTSA and extends its winning streak in the series to three dating back to last season.

Freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske led the Maroon and Gold with a career-high 13 kills and was followed by sophomore outside Kenedi Rutherford, a UTSA transfer, who notched 11 kills and three blocks. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey also got in on the fun and logged her third consecutive double-double this season with 10 kills, 16 digs, and matched a career-high with five aces. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt posted her 25th career double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs, while also chipping in one ace, and sophomore middle blocker Jillian Slaughter recorded a match-high six blocks to go along with six kills in the victory. DeWalt, Slaughter, and Teske are all from the San Antonio area.

UTSA was led by sophomore outside Kirby Smith who turned in a match-high 15 kills in addition to eight digs, two blocks and one ace. Her classmate and fellow outside hitter Hannah Lopez had a double-double with 14 kills and 11 blocks, and senior libero Emily Ramirez led all players with 24 digs. Freshman setter Courtney Walters finished with 20 assists, six digs, and one ace, while sophomore setter Mia Perales recorded 19 assists and five digs. Senior middle Kara Teal led the Roadrunners with three blocks.

Set 1
The Roadrunners opened set one with an 8-3 run to force the Bobcats into a timeout and held their largest lead at 15-8. Texas State would respond with a 7-0 run, however, and ultimately tied the match late at 20. Slaughter found the floor for two consecutive kills to give the home team a 22-20 advantage and the Bobcats went on the win the opening frame, 25-21.

Set 2
With the momentum on TXST side after the comeback in set one, the Cats jumped out in front of the Roadrunners for a 13-7 lead. UTSA battled back and tied the set at 14 before the Bobcats looked as if they would pull away with a 19-16 advantage. UTSA was persistent, however, and tied the match on two separate occasions before stealing the second stanza, 26-24.

Set 3
There were 10 ties between the teams prior to the media timeout where Texas State took a 15-13 thanks to a kill by Teske and an attacking error by the visiting club. Out of the timeout, Koenen registered an ace, and although UTSA did not let the set get too far away, TXST capitalized by scoring four of the final six points with three of them coming from Roadrunner errors.

Set 4
UTSA made an early push to force a fifth set with a 7-2 lead that prompted a Bobcat timeout. TXST scored three quick points out of the break and later tied the frame at 11 highlighted by two solo blocks from Slaughter. The Maroon and Gold took their final lead of the night after Huskey’s kill ignited a 4-0 run to bring the count to 18-14 and the Bobcats never let off as they closed the set and match with a 25-20 win.

The Creeds & Crests Classic will continue with three matches tomorrow and will conclude with a 7 p.m. contest featuring Texas State and George Washington.

Hard-Fought Match Sees Bobcats Fall in Double Overtime

SAN MARCOS, Texas – A match between the Sun Belt Conference preseason favorites lived up to its billing as the Texas State and South Alabama soccer teams battled Thursday night at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. The Bobcats came out on the wrong end as the Jaguars scored with just under two minutes left in the second overtime in a 1-0 contest.

TXST drops to 4-4-1 on the season and 0-1-0 in conference play while the Jaguars are now 6-2-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the Sun Belt.

Nearly three minutes into the match, Kaylee Davis made a quick turn and took a crack at goal from 18 yards out. USA’s Justice Stanford was charging out and dove the wrong direction but the ball ended up wedged between her knees to prevent an early Bobcat score.

In the 21st minute, TXST appeared to take the lead when Davis headed in a cross from Addison Gaetano. However, the assistant referee had his flag raised for an offside call on the Allen, Texas native to negate the score.

The Texas State defense held the Jaguars to just two shots for the first 30 minutes. The visitors had two quick attempts in the 32nd minute. A shot from Chloe McGlade was blocked but Gracie Wilson followed up with a solid look that ended with Heather Martin making a diving stop.

With 29 seconds remaining in the half, Morgan Cross made attempted a sliding shot about five yards out from the near post. Her solid connection was denied by Martin as she made a sliding save at the post.

The Jaguars placed two shots on goal in the second half that was stopped by Martin prior to a lightning delay that lasted nearly 80 minutes. Coming out of the delay, Davis placed a shot on goal early in the 71st minute that was kept out of the goal.

In the first overtime, the Bobcats took two shots, both being off-target while denying USA any looks.

TXST was able to get two more shots off in the final overtime period with one being blocked out for a corner kick.

USA won a corner kick about midway through the 108th minute. The ensuing inswinger was punched out by Martin while getting run into by a couple of Jaguars. No whistle was blown on USA and they received another corner as the ball went over the backline. The second corner ended with Ana Helmert heading home the lone goal of the match.

The Bobcats took 12 shots but were only able to place two on the frame. They did have a 10-6 advantage in corner kicks with half of them coming in the first 45 minutes.

Davis led all players with four shots with half of them being on goal. Taking two shots apiece were Jordan Kondikoff and Kamaria Williams, who made her first collegiate start.

Martin made six saves on the night to give her 238 in her career. The Midlothian, Texas native is now 10 stops away from moving into second place in program history.

The Bobcats are off until Friday, Sept. 27 when they travel to face Little Rock for a 7 p.m. match.

Sun Belt Preseason Favorites Battle Thursday Night

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sun Belt Conference play kickoffs Thursday night as the top two teams in the women’s soccer coaches’ preseason poll faceoff Thursday night. Texas State (4-3-1) hosts South Alabama (5-2-1) at the Bobcat Soccer Complex for a 7 p.m. match.

Live stats will be available for the contest while there won’t be a video stream. Admission, as it is for all home matches, is free.

Last Weekend

The Bobcats dropped both contests by 1-0 scores. They fell on the road to Northwestern State on Friday before seeing their nine-match home unbeaten streak come to an end on Sunday against McNeese.

Renny Moore paced TXST with a combined five shots in the two matches. Against the Cowgirls, Mackenzie Smith tied her career-highs with four shots and three shots on goal.

Between the posts, Heather Martin played the first half of each contest and ended the weekend with two saves and one goal allowed. Kathryn Budde also surrendered a goal while making one stop.

Scouting South Alabama

The Jaguars are coming off a 1-1 weekend in which they fell at Mississippi State (1-0) on Friday before defeating Ole Miss 2-1 Sunday afternoon. Others wins this year have been against Jackson State, Stetson, Southeastern Louisiana and UAB while the lone draw was the season opener against Tennessee Tech.

Briana Morris leads the team and the conference with eight goals and 17 points. The senior has taken 18 shots and placed 11 of them on goal. Coming in with three goals apiece are Ana Helmert, Chloe McGlade and Brenna McPartlan, who has seen two of her tallies come from the penalty spot. Both Fanney Einarsdottir and Moa Ohman have netted two goals each.

Justice Stanford has started all eight matches in goal and comes into the contest with a 0.91 GAA having allowed seven goals. She also sports a .767 save percentage with 23 stops.

All-Time vs. Jaguars

USA leads the all-time series 5-1-2. Last year saw Texas State claim its’ first-ever win against the Jaguars with a 1-0 victory on Sept. 23 in Mobile, Alabama. Kaylee Davis scored the lone goal in the 10th minute. Martin also recorded 10 saves with seven coming in the second half. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals with the Bobcats dispatching USA 4-2 on penalty kicks.

Only twice before have the programs played in San Marcos with the Jaguars winning both times. The last meeting was on Oct. 22, 2017 and saw USA win 2-0.