TXST Keeps Streak Intact In Mobile

Bobcat volleyball takes down South Alabama 3-1, remains perfect in Sun Belt play.

MOBILE, Ala. – The Texas State volleyball team secured a 3-1 (25-19, 25-15, 21-25, 25-15) triumph over South Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference match Friday night inside Jaguar Gym.

The Bobcats (19-5, 10-0 Sun Belt) remained perfect in league play and earned their 14th-straight victory. The winning streak is the longest since 2004 for the maroon and gold. South Alabama fell to 10-12 on the year and 4-5 in the conference.

True freshman Emily DeWalt quarterbacked the offense with 49 assists. Senior Amy Pflughaupt had a match-high 18 kills, while true freshman Janell Fitzgerald added 13. Junior Micah Dinwiddie tallied 14 digs, while senior Madison Daigle had nine blocks and eight kills.

Kelley Hartman led USA with 13 kills. Rachael DeMarcus finished with 33 assists, while Arissa Chappell had 10 digs.

Texas State led in kills (59-40), attack percentage (.336-.128), assists (51-34), digs (42-39), and blocks (16-10). Both teams had four aces.

SET 1

Texas State captured the opening frame 25-19. The Bobcats broke a 4-4 tie with a seven-point run and never looked back. The Jaguars were able to close the gap to four points on four separate occasions, but the maroon and gold was able to stabilize their play and wrap up the set by the six-point margin.

SET 2

The Bobcats rinsed and repeated in the second, winning the stanza 25-15 to head into intermission with a 2-0 lead. They again propelled into an 11-4 advantage, but this time around the visitors did not allow USA to get any closer than six points.

SET 3

The home team got on the board by securing the third 25-21. The Jaguars exploded out of the break into a 7-2 cushion and did not allow the Bobcats to play back into a tie. TXST got within two at 15-13 to force a USA timeout, but South Alabama scored the next two points and was able to trade blows with Texas State the rest of the way.

SET 4

Texas State scored the first two points and never trailed in the fourth, ending the evening with a 25-15 triumph in the period. The visitors built a 16-9 lead at one point, but a 4-0 swing allowed USA to close the gap to 16-13. That would prove to be the last gap for the Jaguars, however, as the Bobcats closed on a 9-2 run.

TXST improved to 8-3 all-time against South Alabama and avenged a loss to the Jaguars from a year ago in San Marcos.

Texas State has a swift turnaround and will play Troy at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in Troy, Ala.