Box Score
San Marcos, Texas – Going into Saturday's match against Stephen F. Austin, the Texas State volleyball team wanted to utilize their outside and right side hitters to keep the Ladyjacks middle blockers off balance. That game plan was executed to perfection as AJ Watlington, Amari Deardorff and Preslie Alexander combined for 44 kills in a 3-1 Bobcat victory in Strahan Coliseum.
Watlington, a senior right side hitter from Aledo, Texas, began the match with six kills in the opening set and never slowed down as she totaled a match-high 19 for the game – one off her career high of 20 kills that she set earlier this season against Texas Tech. Watlington hit .417 for the match while also tallying 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the 2010 campaign.
Deardorff hit higher than .380 for the fourth consecutive match as she posted 13 kills and a match-high .440 hitting percentage. A freshman right side hitter from Austin, Texas, Deardorff finished with just two errors on 25 swings while also adding three blocks and six digs on the afternoon.
Alexander, a freshman outside hitter from San Antonio, Texas, had 12 kills and seven digs for the Bobcats while hitting .237 for the match. Saturday marked the seventh time this season that Alexander has posted double-digit kills.
The match began with Texas State taking the first set, 25-17, before a late rally came up just short in the second set, and the Ladyjacks evened the match, 1-1, with a 25-23 win in the second. The Bobcats kept the momentum going into the third set from their late rally and cruised to a 25-19 win in the third set before finishing the match in the fourth set with a score of 25-18.
With the team's third consecutive victory, Texas State improved to 13-9 overall and 6-2 in the Southland Conference. The loss sent Stephen F. Austin to a 10-13 overall record and 3-5 mark in the SLC.
Setters Shelbi Irvin and Caleigh McCorquodale helped the Bobcat offense hit .286 as a team for the match. Both players had 23 assists on the afternoon, while Irvin also tied a season high with four service aces. McCorquodale posted her fifth double-double this year as she added 15 digs in the victory.
Danielle Sanchou led the Bobcat back row with 19 digs as the team out-dug the Ladyjacks, 74-63. Amber Calhoun paced the Bobcat block as she finished with five total blocks (one solo, four assists). The Bobcats narrowly won the blocking battle, 7.0-6.0.
Not making mistakes was the recipe for success on Saturday as the Bobcats had just five service errors compared to eight aces. Texas State was also effective offensively as the team had only 16 attack errors while tallying 58 kills.
The Bobcats return to action with their final match of their four-game homestand against UT Arlington. That match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 20 in Strahan Coliseum.
