Nov. 21, 2009
Box Score
Box Score 
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - Team effort by top ranked Texas State advances the Bobcats to the Southland Conference Championship match, after a 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 28-26, 26-24) victory over No. 4 seed Lamar today in the first semifinals match of the day at the Convocation Center in San Antonio. Texas State will make its 11th overall title match appearance and third straight as it awaits the winner of Stephen F. Austin versus Nicholls.
"I'm excited and proud of our ladies," said head coach Karen Chisum. "The ladies really battled. We could have folded after set two. It was set three where we were down, but we came back to win it. They really fought and our fans were good. We may not have played our best, but we played hard when we had to, to get the point."
Melinda Cave registered her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs. Shelbi Irvin also notched a double-double as she tallied 21 assists and 14 digs for her seventh of the season.
Mo Middleton led Texas State with 16 kills and eight digs, while senior outside hitter Jessica Weyand collected 10 kills and nine digs.
Defense was the key for the Texas State front line as they created a brick wall against Lamar totaling 11 blocks in the opening set. The Bobcat defense registered three blocks in the first eight points to go up 8-4 forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout. Texas State went up by five, before Lamar recorded back-to-back blocks to come to within three.
A Bobcat attack error brought Lamar to within one at the 11-10 mark, but two kills by Cave ended that run. The two teams traded points and a Jillian Wolpman solo block gave Texas State an added charge as they went up 20-16. Cave and Middleton gathered two kills each, combined with a Cardinal ball handling error to win the first set 25-18. Texas State hit .238 to Lamar's .027.
Lamar came out energized to start the second as they went on a 6-0 run to stun the Bobcats. Amber Calhoun nailed a kill down the middle to end the run, but the Cardinals stayed one step ahead of Texas State for the first half of the set.
Texas State came to within three at 13-16, but errors haunted the Bobcats in the second half of the set. Adrienne Meengs headed the Cardinal offense who hit .222, holding Texas State to .000. The Cardinals won the set 25-16, tying the match at 1-all.
"We stayed calm. We had some sporadic moments, but in the third and fourth sets we managed to keep our composure," said Middleton.
Momentum swung in the Bobcats favor in the third. Having to beat the Cardinals in extra points, Texas State won the set 28-26. Both teams were statistically similar for three-fourths of the set, but Texas State carried the weight on its back for the long haul.
The third set saw 15 ties and six lead changes as Texas State hit .317 and Lamar hit .178.
Texas State propelled in the fourth as they recorded 16 kills on .229 hitting. The fourth was almost identical to the third set, as Texas State won 26-24 to advance to the championship match tomorrow versus the winner of the Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls match slated for 4:00pm today.
"We knew it was going to be a good game," said Weynand. "We stayed calm and didn't panic. We came back and knew what we had to do. We just had high energy. Coach told us to stay calm and play with heart, and that's exactly what we came back and did."
The major difference on the box score was that Texas State out blocked Lamar 29 to 12. Texas State hit .198 with 57 kills and 77 digs. The Cardinals hit .149, with 54 kills and 78 digs. Lamar was led by Adrianne Meengs who registered 15 kills, 19 digs and 35 assists for a triple-double. Jayme Bazile recorded 11 kills and four block assists.
Tomorrow's championship match will begin at 2:00pm and will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network. Texas State matches can also be heard live on www.txstatebobcats.com.
Ticket prices for a day session are $8 for an adult and $5 youths. There is no charge for Southland Conference students with a valid institutional I.D.
