Aug. 25, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Texas State overcame a 10-point deficit midway through game one, and then rode the momentum to a convincing three-game sweep (34-32, 30-22, 30-21) of the Wyoming Cowgirls in Texas State's second game of the CenturyTel Premier in San Marcos Friday.

Lawrencia Brown posted a match-high 24 kills to lead Texas State (2-0), while Wyoming (1-1) got a double-double performance from Annie Meyers, who had 13 kills and 15 digs.

Brown's 24-kill outing boosted her kills per game average to 6.83 kills over six games thus far in the season.

Senior Kelly Fletcher and junior Brandy St. Francis added eight kills apiece for the `Cats, while Brown and senior Karry Griffin led Texas State with 11 digs each.

Freshman setter Brittany Collins, who led the team with 41 assists, added seven kills and eight digs in her first collegiate start. The Cowgirls, who finished sixth in the Mountain West Conference in 2005, were led by Rachel Smith, who posted 16 kills.

The Cowgirls took control of the opening game by scoring the first three points, and five of the first six, and Wyoming used six-point run to take a 12-3 lead early in game one. The Cowgirls led by as many as 10 after a Meyers kill brought the score to 19-9. Texas State bounced back, however, as the Bobcats responded with a 12-4 run to get within striking distance.

Collins pulled the Bobcats to within one on the next rally with an unassisted kill. The Bobcat setter totaled four kills in the late stages of the first game as the Bobcats and Cowgirls traded points almost evenly.

The Cowgirls were poised to take a 1-0 lead in the match, but a kill by Scott was nullified when the third-year middle blocker was whistled for going into the net on the attack.

Texas State took the lead for only the second time in the game at 32-31 on a Brown kill from Collins that was initiated by a full-speed diving dig from Danna Melito. The Bobcats sealed the game three points later on an attacking error by Meyers.

Riding the momentum from game one, the Bobcats built an early game-two lead using a 12-5 run to bring the score to 18-9. The Cowgirls did not get closer than seven points the rest of the way as Texas State eased to an eight-point victory.

The Bobcats picked up right where they left off in game three, jumping out to an early five-point lead when a St. Francis kill set up by Collins made the score 8-3.

Texas State then used a 9-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 17-7, capped by one of Brown's nine kills in the third frame. The teams exchanged points the rest of the game as the Bobcats claimed the match with a 30-21 victory.

Texas State returns to action Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against Southern Cal. The Women of Troy were ranked 14th in the nation coming into this weekend's contest.

The Bobcats conclude the CenturyTel Premier later in the evening with a 7 p.m. match against North Texas.

The Gold Standard
In a side note from Friday's win over Wyoming, Texas State may have established a new tradition, donning gold jerseys for the first time in program history.

According to head coach Karen Chisum, in her time at Texas State, the Bobcats have had only white and maroon shirts, with Friday marking a program first with the `Cats in gold.