Nov. 16, 2007

Final Stats

SAN ANTONIO - Emily Jones broke the Texas State single-season record for block assists while AJ Watlington totaled 11 kills as the fifth-seeded Bobcats advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-14, 30-25) sweep of McNeese State on Friday.

The `Cats (19-11) will now face the winner of top-seeded Lamar and eighth-seeded Sam Houston State at 5 p.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to the championship match.

Jones finished with seven block assists, giving her 132 on the season to surpass Amy Amundson's old record of 131. Amy Weigle also pulled within a block assist of fifth place on the single season list with her 112th on the year while Brittany Collins set a career high with seven aces in the match.

The win also marked a milestone for Head Coach Karen Chisum, who won her 650th career match and 250th match against conference opponents. For her career, Chisum ranks among the top 10 active head coaches in career wins.

As a team, Texas State hit a season-best .380 in the match while avenging a regular-season loss in Lake Charles to the Cowgirls (19-14).

The Bobcats controlled the match early on, opening game one with a 15-10 lead before McNeese State rallied with an 11-5 run to claim a one point advantage. From there the teams would trade points until a pair of Melinda Cave kills helped the `Cats reclaim a 27-26 lead. Collins' first ace gave the Bobcats game point, and Watlington put one just inside the back line for the game one winner.

Three more aces from Collins in game two helped spark a 15-4 opening run for Texas State, who dominated the second frame with a 30-15 win. Jones and Jessica Weynand were perfect in game two, combining for nine kills in nine attempts to lead the offensive charge. McNeese State came out in game three looking to capture some momentum but fell behind 21-12 after a 14-6 Texas State run. Down 28-18, the Cowgirls tried to save their season with a furious 7-1 run to pull within five before Weynand's tenth kill clinched the match.

Lawrencia Brown added a double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs on offense to go along with a .360 attack percentage. Shelbi Irvin led the `Cats with 26 assists while Collins added 21. On defense, Kacey Wimpy finished with 12 digs while Watlington added five blocks.

McNeese State was led by Chanel Tyler and Alyson Jones, who each finished with 10 kills, but a staunch Bobcat defense held the Cowgirls to a .148 team hitting percentage. Sarah Cartie tallied 29 assists while Jessica Strama netted 12 digs in the match.

Live stats for Saturday's match will be available via host UTSA's website at goutsa.com. The Southland Conference will also provide free live streaming video via the conference's new Southland.tv website.