Oct. 13, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Lawrencia Brown had 19 kills and scored 19.5 points while Amy Weigle had six blocks and 14 kills to score 19.0, as Texas State stormed past Lamar 3-2 (26-30, 30-20, 28-30, 32-30, 17-15) Friday night at Strahan Coliseum.

Texas State (8-12, 4-2 SLC) had to come from behind in the win, as Lamar earned a 2-1 match lead through three games, and the Cardinals (8-13, 4-2) had the `Cats pinned in game four with an 18-10 late-game advantage.

A Buchi Okoh kill put Lamar up 23-14 nine serves later, but Texas State put up a furious comeback, notching the next six points to get within three at 23-20. Lamar would go back up by four on a Bobcat error at 27-23, but Texas State got the next four points, including a Kelly Fletcher kill and a Kacey Wimpy service ace to tie the game at 27-27.

Lamar earned a game- and match-point opportunity by going up 29-28 on a kill by Okoh, but Fletcher erased the chance by tying the game with a kill, knotting the score at 29-29. Brown put Texas State up 30-29 with a kill on the next play, and after Lamar scored on a Bobcat miscue, Texas State pounced on the next two serves to stay alive in the match with a 32-30 victory.

The win forced a fifth and final game, and Texas State responded by scoring five of the first six points and opening a 9-3 lead on a kill by Fletcher, who had four in the final frame. Lamar would get back to within one at 12-11, making use of an 8-3 run, but Texas State looked to distance itself with two of the next three points to go up 14-12.

Lamar would get back-to-back scores, however, forcing extra points with the game tied at 14-14, but the Cardinals would never lead as Brown and Fletcher each posted points in the final four serves to win the game 17-15 and earn a 3-2 decision in the match.

The win deflated a momentum-filled Lamar charge, as the Cardinals came out swinging in game one, opening the match with a 30-26 victory.

Texas State had been up by as many as five, but with the Bobcats on top 17-12, Lamar used a 9-4 spurt to tie the game at 21-21, and the Cardinals outscored Texas State 9-4 in the final 13 serves to win the game 30-26, earning a 1-0 match lead.

The Bobcats fired back in game two with a ten-point win after falling behind 15-9 at the game's mid-point. Texas State got the next five points to slim Lamar's lead to one, and the Bobcats regained the lead on an LU error to make the score 17-16.

The `Cats fired off the next three points, including an Emily Jones kill, taking a 20-17 lead, and Texas State didn't look back, outscoring the Cardinals 10-3 to win 30-20 and tie the match at 1-1. Fletcher posted back-to-back kills to finish the game, as the senior finished the match with 16 kills and 18.5 points.

In game three, Texas State grabbed a 12-7 lead out of the blocks but had it erased, as Lamar fired back to go up 18-17 on one of Okoh's 18 kills in the match.

The kill sparked a 10-3 run that put Lamar up 27-20, and despite Texas State getting back to within one at 29-28, Jessica Weynand misfired on her service attempt to close the game with Lamar up 30-28.

Erin Hickman led the Bobcats with 55 assists on the night, as she also posted a double-double with a club-high 15 digs. Wimpy also shared the digs lead, earning 15 defensive stops on the night, while Jones had 11 kills and 13.0 points in the win.

The win put Texas State to two games above .500 in the Southland and dashed Lamar's hopes of earning a share of first place in the SLC East, as the Cards trailed McNeese State by a game in the eastern standings.

Texas State will play McNeese State Saturday, with first serve coming at 4 p.m. inside Strahan Coliseum. McNeese comes into the match still in first place in the SLC East, despite falling to Texas-Arlington 3-2 on Friday night for the Cowgirls' first SLC loss of the season.