Aug. 26, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Lawrencia Brown equaled her season- and career-high of 24 kills and also led Texas State with 18 digs, but three North Texas players in double figures and nine team blocks sent the Mean Green past the Bobcats (30-26, 31-29, 30-25) in the final match of the 2006 CenturyTel Premier at Strahan Coliseum.

Texas State (2-2) also got 13 digs out of freshman libero Kacey Wimpy, while freshman setter Brittany Collins posted 34 assists and 16 digs to card her first collegiate double-double in the loss.

North Texas (1-3) was led by Catherine Coffey, who posted 14 kills, and Jessica Hulsebosch, who had 19 digs.

The Bobcats scored the first two points of game one, but North Texas quickly answered, recording its first two to tie the game at 2-2.

The lead would change three more times with five ties before the Bobcats took a 10-8 advantage on a Danna Melito ace, but North Texas managed to strike next with the match's first scoring run, putting up the next four points and eight of the next nine to lead 16-11.

Brown pulled Texas State back to within four (16-12) with one of her six kills in the game, but North Texas outscored Texas State 7-4 over the next 11 serves to take its biggest game-one lead at 23-17.

The teams traded the next two serves before Brown sparked a 5-0 Texas State run with a kill, but after the Bobcats cut the lead to 24-22, the Mean Green posted six of the final ten scores to take a 30-26 decision and a 1-0 lead in the match.

Game two started with North Texas gaining three of the first four points to take a 3-1 lead, which was answered by a 4-2 Bobcat run that tied the game at 5-5.

Texas State would take its first lead of game two on a North Texas error at 8-7, and the Bobcats got three of the next four points, including kills from Brown and Brittany Collins to go up 11-8.

North Texas fought back, fighting to within one at 12-11 on a Brooke Engel kill, and after Texas State fired back to go up 15-12, the Mean Green scored six of the next seven to take an 18-16 advantage. All-tournament performer Brittany Gregory posted two kills in the run, which put UNT up by two.

North Texas would go up by as many as four in the game's late stages (24-20), but a 6-2 Bobcat run, including two Brown kills and another from Emily Jones, tied the game at 26-26.

Texas State took its first lead since 16-15 when an Ashley Stark ace made the score 29-28, but North Texas posted three of the game's final four scores to win 31-29, moving the match lead to 2-0.

North Texas helped itself complete the three-game sweep by opening with game three's first point, but Texas State managed to rally for the next two to go up 2-1.

The Bobcats would get up by as many as three (8-5, 9-6), but another Mean Green rally put North Texas on top 15-14 at the game's mid-point. UNT scored three of the next four points to go up 18-15, and despite Texas State getting to within two late in the game, the Mean Green held on for a 30-25 game-sealing win.

North Texas had three chances at match-point before finally slamming the door, as Karry Griffin kept Texas State alive with two late game kills that brought Texas State back within four after the Bobcats fell behind by six.

Texas State's returns to the court Friday in Edinburg, where the Bobcats take on Texas-Pan American in the first of two matches at UTPA Fieldhouse. Saturday, Texas State plays Texas Tech to conclude tournament play before returning home to battle Baylor on Sept. 5.

2006 All-Tournament Team
- Asia Caczor (USC/Tournament MVP), 6-4, Jr. OH, Worclaw, Poland/Southern Idaho
- Lawrencia Brown (Texas State), 5-11, So. OH, Austin, Texas/Akins HS
- Kacey Wimpy (Texas State), 5-5, Fr. Lib., Arlington, Texas/Martin HS
- Diane Copenhagen (USC), 6-2, Jr. MB, Saratoga, Calif./St. Francis HS
- Brittney Gregory (North Texas), 5-11, Sr. MB, Spring, Texas/Klein HS
- Heather Bravo (Texas-Pan American), 5-11, Sr. OH, Las Vegas, Nev./Durango HS
- Rachel Smith (Wyoming), 5-11, Jr. OH, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake HS