Oct. 1, 2004

Box Score

San Marcos, Texas -  The Texas State volleyball team (9-4, 3-2 SLC) finally got revenge on Friday night in a three-game rout (30-15, 30-22, 30-18) of Nicholls State (3-8, 3-2 SLC) at Strahan Coliseum. 

It was less then nine months ago, that the Colonels ended the Bobcats season in the Southland Conference Tournament final, and the `Cats were more then ready to return the favor.

 

With the win, the `Cats also extended its winning streak to a season-best four straight matches, and put together one their best performances to date.

 

"In the locker room before the match I didn't have to say a word to the players," said Head Coach Karen Chisum.  "They knew the significance of this match and really wanted to send a message to Nicholls."

 

"We definitely wanted some revenge," said senior setter Krystal Kolkhorst.  "But this match was really important for us and it was great for the team to come together and play strong the entire match."

 

Texas State dominated the match from the opening serve, as the Bobcat defense frustrated the Colonels into committing 10 attacking errors in the first game and 24 errors overall.

 

Entering the match, Nicholls State ranked third in the Southland Conference in hitting percentage at .237, but against a prowling `Cats defense managed to hit just .061.

 

"I am really happy with the way our team played tonight," said Chisum.  "They came out and won the first game, which we had not done in seven matches, and I felt the team played stronger with each game."

 

Coming into the match the Bobcats had lost a key contributor when sophomore Kelly Fletcher injured her knee in practice on Thursday.  With the loss of Fletcher, the Bobcats turned to outside hitter Stephanie Torregrosa to pick up the slack.  The senior from San Diego responded in a big way as she led the team with 11 kills and 12 defensive digs on a season-best .409 hitting.

 

"I am so proud of Stephanie," said Chisum.  "She really stepped up tonight and played an outstanding match."

 

After rolling in the second game behind 18 Bobcat kills on .359 hitting, and leading by double-digits in the third game, Coach Chisum sent in freshman Kim Hair to finish off the Colonels.

 

Hair, who appeared in only five games previously, entered the game and quickly scored the Bobcats final six points, including three-straight aces to end the match.

 

"It was great to see Kim get out there and play well," said Chisum, "you can't ask any more from a player then what she gave out there."

 

For the match, Texas State recorded 50 kills on .337 hitting, while the Colonels posted only 31 kills.  One of the keys to the Bobcats success was their ability to disrupt Nicholls State's attack with 52 digs, compared to just 33 for the Colonels.

 

"We knew if we out-dug Nicholls State that we would win tonight," Chisum said.

 

Also playing well for the `Cats was senior middle blocker Kacee Rogers with eight kills and five digs, while freshman Brandy St. Francis collected nine kills on a team-high .538 hitting.

 

Kolkhorst added another solid outing to her season with 41 set assists, five digs, and three kills.

 

The Bobcats will have little time to celebrate Friday's win, as the team will play host to another challenging opponent in Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.  The match is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum.