Oct. 29, 2005

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Lawrencia Brown posted her second-straight 20-kill match, and Texas State survived despite losing big in game one, as the `Cats knocked off McNeese State 26-30, 30-18, 31-29, 30-23 Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.

McNeese State (12-9, 7-5 SLC) opened game two down 2-0, but quickly countered, scoring eight straight to take an early six-point lead. Texas State slipped back within striking distance, cutting the lead to two at 9-7, but a 10-4 McNeese run pushed the Cowgirl lead to 19-11.

Texas State (13-9, 11-3 SLC) battled back, going on an 8-3 run that cut the lead to 22-19, but McNeese outscored the `Cats 8-7 to win game one 30-26.

Up 1-0 in the match, the Cowgirls scored game two's first point, and after a pair of ties, Texas State got its first lead at 3-2. The game remained tight, but Texas State was able to get a little breathing room with three-point leads at 9-6 and 10-7. From the 10-7 lead, Texas State outscored McNeese 4-2 to a 14-9 lead, and further extended the advantage to 22-14 by way of an 8-5 run midway through the game.

The `Cats smothered the Cowgirls to finish game two, outscoring McNeese State 8-4 to cap the 30-18, and with the win the Bobcats evened the match at 1-1 into the midway intermission.

Game three started and finished a thriller, featuring eight lead changes and a dozen ties in a battle that saw game point slip away from McNeese State in a 31-29 Texas State win. McNeese opened the game with a 3-1 lead, and immediately used a 4-2 clip to extend the lead to 7-3. Texas State scored the next three points to get within one at 6-7, and the Bobcats capped a 6-1 run by tying the game at 8-8 and taking a 9-8 lead on back-to-back Cowgirl errors.

A Bobcat service error coupled with a Cowgirl kill enabled McNeese to regain the lead at 10-9, but a Cowgirl service error again tied the game at 10-10. McNeese got the next point to lead 11-10, but three consecutive Bobcat points put Texas State on top 13-11.

The game remained back-and-forth and with the score tied at 18-18, Texas State got three kills, an ace and a Cowgirl error to top off a 5-2 run that earned the `Cats their biggest lead of the game at 23-20. From that point, McNeese State outscored Texas State 8-1 to lead 28-24.

The Bobcats scored three straight to cut the McNeese lead to one at 28-27, but the Cowgirls managed to reach game point with a kill that made the score 29-27. The kill would be the last for McNeese in game three, as the `Cats scored four in a row that included two Brown kills to beat McNeese 31-29.

Leading 2-1 in the match, Texas State started fast in game four, leading 4-1 thanks in part to a pair of early Amy Weigle kills. McNeese shaved the lead to 4-3 with a pair of points, but a 4-1 Bobcat run moved the lead to 8-4. McNeese got back within one at 8-7 with three-straight scores, but Texas State went on a momentum-killing spurt, scoring the next ten to lead 18-7 in the fourth and final game.

Texas State led by as many as 12 in the final game, and although McNeese got back within six at 29-23, the Bobcats were too much, winning the game 30-23 and the match 3-1.

Brown led the `Cats with 20 kills, while Elizabeth Nwoke chipped in 12 and Brandy St. Francis tallied 17, and Amy Ramirez posted 23 digs to lead four Bobcats in the defensive category. Brown capped her double-double with a dozen digs, while Erin Hickman carded a season- and career-best 19, and Brittany Prewit found double digits with 11 to help the Bobcat defense. St. Francis led the `Cats up front with five blocks, and Hickman assisted on 60 of Texas State's 72 team kills.

Texas State is back in action Tuesday, when the `Cats step out of Southland play to take on the 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns at Strahan Coliseum. First serve between the Bobcats and Longhorns is slated for 7 p.m., and fans are invited to remain in the coliseum following the match for an autograph session that will take place in the Strahan Coliseum concourse, near the Bobcat volleyball administrative offices.