Sept. 24, 2004
Box Score
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Texas State volleyball team continued to roll at the CenturyTel/Classic Honda Premiere with a 3-0 victory of James Madison, Friday night. The Bobcats are now 4-2 and 2-0 in the Premiere, while James Madison suffered their first loss of the tournament and fell to 4-2 overall.
The `Cats executed well in all three matches connecting on 54 kills with an attack percentage of .304.
"I am very poud of the way we performed today," said Head Coach Karen Chisum. "Our passing and hitting has been tremendous in both matches, and you can tell our team is confident."
After rolling in the first game, 30-23, the `Cats found themselves down late in the second game by four points. Down 14-18, the `Cats fought back behind strong defense from liberos Amy Ramirez and Kristy Jones, as well as a series of kills by outside hitters Lizzy Nwoke, Stephanie Torregrosa, and middle blocker Ashley Stark to win the game 30-24.
"The way we came back from down four really shows not only the experience of this team from last season, but also the strong character we have," Chisum said.
In the third game (30-26), the Bobcats once again rallied from a two-point deficit, and pulled away behind a clutch ace from setter Krystal Kolkhorst late in the match.
Nwoke led all Bobcats in kills for the second straight match with 16, while Torregrosa finished with 12 kills, 8 defensive digs, and three aces. Kolkhorst collected her first double-double of the season with 45 assists and 10 digs, and middle blocker Kacee Rogers put in six kills and four blocks.
James Madison had a total 40 kills in the match with a .238 hitting percentage. The `Cats managed to hold the Dukes star player Emilee Hussack to just seven kills in 36 total attempts (-.056 hitting percentage).
"We have a come a long way from Tuesday night [3-0 loss to Texas A&M], and our goal coming into the Premiere was to win it all and we have that chance tomorrow against Ole Miss," Chisum said.
Texas State will play the final match of the Premiere on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against Ole Miss (5-1). Prior to the match, James Madison and San Diego State will square off at noon. All the matches will be played in San Marcos at Strahan Coliseum.
