Box Score
Nacogdoches, Texas – The Texas State volleyball returned to the win column on Saturday after a 3-0 victory against Stephen F. Austin at Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, Texas. An outstanding team defensive performance coupled with the strong offensive play of Mo Middleton and Amari Deardorff helped the Bobcats to a convincing three-set win with scores of 25-22, 25-14, 25-18.
Middleton was nearly unstoppable from her outside hitter position as she put down 12 of her 17 attempts on the evening for kills for a career-high .706 hitting percentage. Middleton, who had nine kills through the first two sets before finishing with a match-high 12, also added nine digs and a block for the Bobcats.
“Efficiency was key coming into this match,” Middleton said. “We have struggled the last few matches, on the outside especially, with putting balls away. Our practice yesterday actually focused on racking up the kills despite any block. I feel that practice was to thank for our team efficiency in addition to the motivation our team has to place as high as possible for the Southland Conference Tournament.”
Deardorff recorded two kills for the Bobcats in the opening points of the game and remained a focal point for the Texas State offense all match. She finished the match with nine kills on 16 attempts with just two errors for a .438 hitting percentage. She also set a career high after serving five of the team's six aces on the evening.
Texas State played inspired defensively, both at the net and in the back row. The Bobcats finished with 10 blocks in the three-set match to go along with 34 digs. Amber Calhoun paced the squad with six blocks (two solo, four assists), while Ashlee Hilbun had five block assists for Texas State. Middleton and Shelbi Irvin each posted nine digs to tie for the team lead, while Jennifer Neice had six and Deardorff finished with five.
“In addition to our offensive effectiveness, I think our defense is another aspect which helped secure this win.” Middleton said. “We productively touched a lot of balls that we haven't been able to in the last matches, allowing us to run more counter attacks than usual. All in all, we did our job and pulled out the win.”
With the win, Texas State improved to 15-11 overall and 8-4 in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin dropped to 11-16 overall and 4-8 in conference play after the loss.
“To come out with a win against SFA is a more than satisfying feeling,” Middleton said. “We needed to finish the weekend strong since it didn't start off that way. I think this win will provide a much needed drive and momentum going in to our last four home matches.”
The Bobcats' first match of their four-game homestand is set for November 4 against Nicholls at Strahan Coliseum. The match is Texas State's Dig Pink night and will start at 6:30 p.m.
