PREVIEW: Bobcats Volleyball Team Conclude Road Schedule In The Bayou

SAN MARCOS, Texas – After a 6-0 showing vs. teams in the Sun Belt Conference East Division, Texas State (18-7, 10-1 Sun Belt) will begin its second round of matches vs. West Division opponents to close out the regular season. The Bobcats will wrap up the road portion of its 2019 season this weekend in Louisiana, opening with a 6 p.m. match Nov. 1 vs. ULM (11-15, 1-9 Sun Belt) at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La., and end the weekend in Lafayette, La. vs. Louisiana (9-14, 5-5 Sun Belt) with a noon serve Nov. 3 at Earl K. Long Gym.

FOLLOW ALONG…

Live Stats at ULM — Sidearm Stats

Watch at Louisiana

Live Stats at Louisiana — Statbroadcast

SETTING THE SCENE

• Texas State enters the weekend on an eight-match winning streak after going 2-0 last weekend to take over first place in the Sun Belt Conference.
• With wins at Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State the Bobcats are now 10-1 in the Sun Belt followed by South Alabama (9-2), Coastal Carolina (8-3), and Troy (8-3).
• The Bobcats continue to trend upwards and are now No. 38 in the latest RPI rankings. Texas State ranks inside the top 50 in all of Division I volleyball in team service aces (147, No. 24) aces per set (1.65/set, No. 36), and opponent hitting percentage (.166, No. 36), team assists (1,053, No. 46), and team kills (1,133, No. 48).
• In conference-only matches, the Bobcats lead the league in hitting percentage (.298) and opponent hitting percentage (.121), and rank No. 2 in kills (13.77/set), blocks (2.30/set), and aces (1.98/set).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey’s 3.42 kills per set (No. 5 in the Sun Belt) and 0.49 aces per set (No. 3 in the Sun Belt; 43 total) leads the team. She also adds 2.24 digs per set and has 49 total blocks. Huskey’s 0.49 aces per set rank No. 17 in all of Division I volleyball players and her 43 total aces rank No. 12 in DI volleyball.
• Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.94 kills per set and a .300 hitting percentage (No. 7 in the Sun Belt). She also has 48 total blocks this year. Fitzgerald leads the conference with a .379 hitting percentage in conference-only matches and ranks No. 6 with 3.36 kills per set.
• Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott leads the team with a .353 hitting percentage and 1.12 blocks per set in 2019. She ranks second in the Sun Belt in both categories. Scott has 156 total kills and a team-high nine solo blocks.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt averages 10.05 assists per set which sits fourth in the Sun Belt and ranks No. 15 in all of DI volleyball with 884 total assists. She also breaks the top 10 of the conference with 0.35 aces per set (T-No. 8). DeWalt adds 2.26 digs per set, 53 kills, and 34 blocks to her season total. DeWalt was tabbed as the Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week for the second consecutive week. She was joined by freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske in the weekly accolades who was tabbed the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week.
• Sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter has 120 total kills and has a .272 hitting percentage. She also adds 67 blocks (eight solos), and three aces. Junior libero Brooke Johnson leads the club with 2.61 digs per set and has 68 assists and 16 aces this season, while senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.05 digs per set and 18 aces in 2019. Dinwiddie is the program’s all-time leader in career digs.

SCOUTING ULM

• ULM enters Friday’s match last in the division with a 1-9 record. In Sun Belt matches, the Warhawks are on a three-match losing streak and are 0-4 at home, however, they did pick up a home victory Wednesday night vs. Jackson State (3-0).
• The Warhawks were swept in the first meeting vs. the Bobcats this year on Sept. 29 at Strahan Arena. Senior outside hitter Mikaela Worley led the team with eight kills and junior outside Ina Gosen had seven digs.
• ULM is in the top five of the conference with 15.25 digs per set (No. 3) but rank No.7 with 1.37 aces per set and a .196 hitting percentage. The Warhawks sit at No. 8 in blocks (1.80/set), No. 9 in opponent hitting percentage (.206) and kills (11.84/set), and No. 10 in assists (10.91/set).
• Worley’s 3.00 kills per set lead the team and she adds 1.81 digs per set and 35 blocks.
• Sophomore outside hitter Kate Blasingame is next on the team with 2.66 kills per set but leads the team with 28 aces this year. She also contributes 3.02 digs on average and has 24 assists and 19 blocks.
• ULM’s offense features two setters, beginning with sophomore setter McKinley Thiede’s 5.40 assists per set and freshman setter Darby Fisher’s 4.37 assists per set. Thiede has 21 aces this season and Fisher has 15.
• Senior libero Albany Schaffer leads the defense with 3.52 digs per set and junior middle blocker Alix Christie has a team-high 68 blocks. Schaffer adds 12 aces to her season totals and Christie has 114 total kills.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA

• Louisiana enters the weekend as the No. 2 team in the West Division with a 5-5 conference record. They are on a four-match winning streak prior to their Friday match vs. UT Arlington, including three consecutive sweeps.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns swept both Little Rock and Arkansas State to pick up their first two conference home wins last weekend. They are now over .500 (6-5) in home matches overall this season.
• La. fell in four sets in its conference opener at Texas State Sept. 27. In that match, junior outside hitter Hali Wisnoskie led the team with 12 kills and senior middle blocker Dree’Ana Abram had 10 kills and four blocks.
• In 2019, Louisiana leads the Sun Belt with 17.49 digs per set, however, they rank No. 7 in blocks (1.85/set), No. 8 in opponent hitting percentage (.195), assists (11.26/set), and kills (12.16/set), and No. 9 in hitting percentage (.183) and aces (1.07/set).
• Wisnoskie paces the team with 2.75 kills per set and averages 2.63 digs per set, has 33 total blocks, 21 assists, and 14 aces this season.
• Abram follows with 2.40 kills per set on a .243 hitting percentage and has 58 blocks. She also matches junior setter Avery Breaux with 15 aces to lead the team. Breaux sits No. 7 in the Sun Belt with 7.88 assists per set and has accumulated 26 kills and seven blocks in 2019.
• Sophomore middle Tia Jade Smith ranks No. 10 in the league with a .289 hitting percentage and leads the Ragin’ Cajuns with 66 total blocks (0.94/set)
• Junior libero Hannah Ramirez is fourth in the conference with 4.45 digs per set and has eight aces on the year.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bobcats are a combined 63-3 vs. ULM and Louisiana and have not lost to either team dating back to Oct. 28, 2017 (2-3 at Louisiana).
• Texas State is 45-2 all-time vs. ULM and have won the last 14 matches in the series. The Bobcats swept the Warhawks earlier this season (Sept. 29) and was led by Huskey’s 14 kills. Fitzgerald followed with 10 kills and DeWalt had a double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs.
• Sunday will be the 20th meeting between Texas State and Louisiana. The Bobcats lead the all-time series 18-1 and are on a five-match winning streak, including the four-set victory in the conference opener Sept. 27. Huskey turned in a double-double with a season-high 21 kills and 11 digs, and DeWalt also registered a double-double with 46 assists and a career-high 25 digs.