Texas State To Play Eight Opponents Who Advanced To Postseason Play Last Year

“As always, our non-conference schedule is extremely difficult,” Chisum said. “We have opportunities to play some very good volleyball programs.”

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State volleyball coach Karen Chisum recently announced the schedule for the upcoming 2018 season.

The Bobcats will compete 30 times overall, with 12 of those matches coming at the newly-renovated Strahan Coliseum. They will also have 14 road matches and four tilts that will be contested on neutral-site courts.

Highlighting the slate are eight programs that competed in the postseason last year, including two teams that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Championship (Texas, Kentucky). Four other opponents also competed in the NCAA tournament (Baylor, LSU, Marquette, Coastal Carolina), while two more played in the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (Rice, Arkansas State).

“As always, our non-conference schedule is extremely difficult,” Chisum said. “We have opportunities to play some very good volleyball programs. This will provide us with a measuring stick to see where we are and what we need to work on if we want to reach our goals.”

The 2018 campaign is slated to begin with an exhibition match on the road against SMU on Aug. 16. The regular season will kickoff in Waco at the Baylor Classic Aug. 24-25.

The maroon and gold will face off against the Bears, LSU and Marquette. Texas State will then host the annual Creeds & Crests Classic Aug. 30-Sept. 1, which will feature UTSA, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word and James Madison.

“I’m very excited to open up the season at Baylor with three very tough teams,” Chisum said. “It’s close to home where our fans can come and support the Cats. We also have our I-35 rival coming in to begin the Creeds & Crests Classic. That is always a very competitive and fun match.”

After difficult road tilts at Rice (Sept. 4) and Texas (Sept. 6), TXST will play host to Kentucky on Sept. 8. The Longhorns finished last season ranked No. 5 in the country, while the Wildcats ended the year at No. 6.

A trip to Tempe, Ariz., awaits Texas State Sept. 14-15 for the Sun Devil Classic, and then Sun Belt Conference action will get underway with a road trip to ULM Sept. 21.

“The quest for an SBC Championship is always tough, and this year will be no different,” Chisum said. “Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina will more than likely be picked in the top two again. Teams such as Louisiana, South Alabama, Troy and Appalachian State made strong runs late last season. We know they will also be very challenging. There is so much parity in this league, which will create a lot of very exciting SBC matches.”

The 2018 SBC Championship will be in Atlanta and will be contested Nov. 16-18. Georgia State will serve as the hosts.

Texas State posted a 25-10 record last season and finished atop the SBC West Division with a 14-2 league mark. The Bobcats hosted opening rounds of the 2017 NIVC and knocked off Rice before falling to eventual runner-up Texas Tech.

The maroon and gold are set to return the 2017 SBC Defensive Player of the Year in junior Micah Dinwiddie and the 2017 SBC Newcomer of the Year in junior Amy Pflughaupt. The Bobcats also welcome back senior All-SBC performers Madison Daigle and Megan Porter.


 

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button