Box Score
San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team defeated Sam Houston State, 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-19, 25-20), on Tuesday evening in Strahan Coliseum. A balanced offensive attack and inspired defensive performance propelled the Bobcats to their second straight win.
The Bobcats improved to 12-9 overall and 5-2 in the Southland Conference with the win, while San Houston State dropped to 9-13 overall and 3-4 in the SLC.
Three Bobcats finished with double-digit digs as the team had 64 total digs for the match compared to 54 for the Bearkats. Senior AJ Watlington led the defensive charge with a career-high 18 saves, surpassing her previous career high of16 that she set twice earlier this season. Sophomores Danielle Sanchou (15 digs) and Caleigh McCorquodale (10) also finished with double-digit digs for the Bobcats.
Offensively, Texas State featured its staple balanced attack as six Bobcats totaled six-or-more kills with no player having more than nine. Freshman Amari Deardorff led the team with nine kills and a .444 hitting percentage, while both junior Amber Calhoun and Watlington added eight. Senior Melinda Cave and freshman Preslie Alexander each had seven winners, and freshman Madeline Gaffney notched six kills for the victorious Bobcats.
McCorquodale and senior Shelbi Irvin each had their opportunities running the offense, and both were effective. McCorquodale had 20 assists while 35.1 percent of her sets resulted in kills, and Irvin finished with 23 assists and a 43.4 assist percentage.
After a slow start, the Texas State block improved throughout the match and finished with 6.0 stuffs. Gaffney paced the team with three block assists and one solo block.
The Bobcats started the match behind as Sam Houston State jumped out to a 12-10 advantage, but Texas State answered with an 8-1 run to open an 18-13 lead. McCorquodale served six points for the home team during the run as the Bobcats used its run to help propel the team to a 25-17 victory in the first set capped off by a block from Calhoun and sophomore Matti Schumacher.
After Sam Houston State evened the match at 1-1 with a second set win, the Bobcats used the same recipe as they did in the opening set to win the third. Trailing 9-7, Texas State went on a 10-2 run to jump in front 17-11. The six-point advantage would hold the remainder of the set as one of the Bearkats' 12 service errors on the night gave the Bobcats a 25-19 victory.
The fourth set saw the Bobcats lead, 7-5, early on a block from Alexander and Gaffney before Sam Houston State rallied to tie it at 8-8. A service ace from Sanchou put the Bobcats back in the lead and the team would not relinquish it the remainder of the stanza. Texas State extended its lead to five, 20-15, on a kill from Alexander before the team went on to take final set, 25-20, on a smash from Watlington out of the middle.
The Bobcats return to action at Strahan Coliseum on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a match against Stephen F. Austin. Tickets for that match can be purchased in advance at txstatebobcats.com or at the door.
