Texas State Bobcats Tie For First In Ohio

The Bobcats knew they could potentially be in for a long night, however…

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Texas State volleyball team defeated Xavier 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21) to tie for first place at the Xavier Tournament Saturday night inside Cintas Center.

The Bobcats (3-2) earned their second win of the day after knocking off Cincinnati 3-2 earlier in the morning. They also finished the weekend with a 2-1 record, while the Musketeers (4-3) had just a 1-2 mark. TXST tied with Western Michigan for first place in the four-team event.

Four different Bobcats finished the sweep with double-digit kills. True freshman Effie Zielinski had 13 kills and just two errors on 22 swings (.500), while sophomore Megan Porter added 12 kills and no errors on 29 attacks (.414). Both members of the squad were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Senior Jaliyah Bolden contributed 11 kills of her own, and sophomore Amy Pflughaupt added 10. True freshman Brooke Johnson (28 assists) and senior Erin Hoppe (19) piloted the offense, while sophomore Micah Dinwiddie (14 digs) was the galvanizing force on the backline.

Texas State locked up each of the first two sets in imposing fashion to kickoff proceedings. A kill from Porter early in the first gave the Bobcats a 5-4 advantage, and the road side never trailed again. They continued to extend their lead all the way out until reaching the final 10-point margin of 25-15.

The second set was a bit tighter and featured seven ties and a pair of lead changes. The penultimate period stayed within a three-point difference through the first half, but the last tie came at 9-9. The maroon and gold held the advantage for the remaining moments. Xavier got within two at 19-17, but TXST won each of the final six points on Porter’s serve to put the clamps down on the evening.

The Bobcats knew they could potentially be in for a long night, however, as the Musketeers came from 2-0 down to force a fifth set Friday night against Cincinnati and defeated tournament champion Western Michigan after falling behind 2-0 earlier in the day.

In the end, Texas State was able to take care of business and wrap up the sweep. Pflughaupt registered a kill to give Texas State an early 3-2 advantage, and the maroon and gold stayed on top the rest of the frame. They pulled ahead by as much as seven points before settling for the four-point win (25-21).

TXST held advantages in every statistical category, including kills (55-37), attack percentage (.398-.217), assists (52-36), aces (3-1), digs (45-40), and blocks (4-2).

No Musketeer was able to ascend to double-digit kills or digs. Nadia Dieudonne (18) and Mackenzi Humm (12) tallied double-digit assists.

Texas State will remain on the road for one more match prior to hosting the 2017 Creeds & Crests Classic Sept. 7-9 inside Strahan Coliseum. Next up for the maroon and gold will be a 6:30 p.m. contest Sept. 5 against Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. The two squads met in the season opener Aug. 25 in College Station, Texas, with TXST earning the 3-0 victory.