Game Notes

San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team plays two Southland Conference matches this week, beginning with the Bobcats' fourth contest in a row at Strahan Coliseum when UT Arlington visits San Marcos for a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday. Texas State then hits the road on Saturday for a visit to Conway, Ark., where the Bobcats face off against Central Arkansas.

Texas State (13-9, 6-2 SLC) has a three-match winning streak entering Wednesday's action with UT Arlington (9-13, 3-5 SLC). The match will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season with UTA taking the first in a five sets in Arlington.

Tickets can be purchased online at txstatebobcats.com or at the door for Wednesday's match. For fans unable to attend the match, live stats and live video will also be available through txstatebobcats.com.

Central Arkansas (19-6, 9-0 SLC) enters Saturday's match as the only undefeated team in Southland Conference play this season. Saturday afternoon's match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Follow along with all the action on Saturday with a live chat featuring play-by-play information and commentary. Also, ucagameday.com will provide live stats and live video for the match.

Scouting Texas State
Bobcat head coach Karen Chisum switched up the starting lineup in Texas State's two matches last week, and the moves yielded positive results as the team won matches against Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin. The Bobcats improved to 6-1 at home this season and 6-2 over their past eight games with the two victories.

AJ Watlington turned in a pair of outstanding performances and was named an SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention. The senior just missed a new career high for kills as she tallied a match-high 19 kills against Stephen F Austin, one off of her personal best of 20. Watlington also hit a season-high .417 against SFA while notching her fifth double-double of the season as she added 12 digs. She posted eight kills on 22 attempts against Sam Houston State while also finishing with a career-high 18 digs and a pair of blocks.

Scouting UT Arlington
Head Coach: Diane Seymour
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: UT Arlington leads, 40-22
Last Meeting: UT Arlington won, 3-2 (10/6/10)

Since their last meeting with the Bobcats, a 3-2 win by UT Arlington, the Mavericks have lost three straight games against Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State. UT Arlington, which began the season 3-2 in the Southland Conference, is now 3-5 in the SLC.

UTA ranks second in the conference in blocks per set with an average of 2.15, led by Emily Shearin who is posting 1.12 blocks per set. The Mavericks' outside hitters, Amanda Aguilera and Tara Frantz, both played well against Texas State in the first matchup and continue to lead the team offensively. Aguilera is averaging 3.41 kills per set, while Frantz is second on the team with 2.58 kills per set.

Head Coach: Steven McRoberts
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: Series tied, 20-20
Last Meeting: Central Arkansas won, 3-2 (10/14/09)

Central Arkansas enters Saturday's match with a pair of long winning streaks. The Sugar Bears have the longest conference winning streak in the nation at 31 matches, dating back to 2008. They also have won 13 consecutive matches this season following a 3-1 win at McNeese State last Saturday.

UCA is among the conference leaders is several statistical categories, including kills (13.5 kills per set) and hitting percentage (.236).

Jessica Hays ranks third in the nation in aces per set with an average of 0.70. She has totaled 59 aces on the season and also leads the team with an average of 3.60 kills per set. Setter Marissa Collins averages an SLC-best 11.39 assists per set.

Top Notes
Last Week
The Bobcats won a pair of Southland Conference matches against Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin last week. Texas State defeated Sam Houston State on Thursday in four sets before winning against Stephen F. Austin, 3-1, on Saturday.

Against UT Arlington
Despite having a losing record against UT Arlington all time, Texas State is 7-3 against the Mavericks in the team's last 10 games at home against UTA.

Against Central Arkansas
The Bobcats have split their four meetings with the Sugar Bears all time. Texas State is both 1-1 at home and 1-1 in Conway, Ark.

League Leaders
Texas State and its opponents this week are among the conference leaders in several categories. UTA ranks second in the conference in blocks while Texas State is third. Central Arkansas is first in opponent hitting percentage while Texas State is third. The Bobcats lead the SLC in hitting percentage and UCA is second in that category.

Southland Conference Standings
The Bobcats sit in second place in the Southland Conference West Division with a 6-2 SLC record, one game behind UTSA which leads the division with a 7-1 mark. In the East Division, Central Arkansas leads with a 9-0 record, while Lamar sits in second with a 5-3 mark in the conference. UT Arlington is tied for the last place in the West Division with a 3-5 record.