Game Notes
San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team continues Southland Conference play this Wednesday when the Bobcats travel to UT Arlington for a 7 p.m. match at Texas Hall. Following that match, Texas State will return to Strahan Coliseum to begin its home SLC schedule on Saturday against Northwestern State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Bobcats go into their two matches this week with a 10-8 overall record and 3-1 mark in the Southland Conference. UT Arlington is currently one game behind the Bobcats in the SLC West Division with a 2-2 record in the conference, while Northwestern State is fourth in the SLC East Division with a 2-3 record.
Fans can follow along with the action on Wednesday with live stats provided through UT Arlington's athletics website,
www.utamavs.com. On Saturday, fans who are not able to make it to Strahan Coliseum can follow the match with live stats and live video through
www.txstatebobcats.com.
Scouting Texas State
The Bobcats have begin the Southland Conference season with a 3-1 record after wins against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTSA and McNeese State and a loss to Lamar. Texas State has played 14 of its 18 matches away from Strahan Coliseum, but beginning with the Northwestern State match, the Bobcats will play eight of its next 11 matches at home.
Texas State ranks among the top-five teams in the conference statistically in nearly every team category. The Bobcats lead the SLC in hitting percentage at .249, while ranking second in the conference in kills per set (13.04/set) and blocks per set (2.24/set). Texas State is third in the conference in assists per set (11.81/set), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.177) and fifth in aces per set (1.42/set).
Scouting UT Arlington
Head Coach: Diane Seymour
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: UT Arlington leads, 39-22
Last Meeting: Texas State won, 3-0 (11/3/09)
The Mavericks enter the mid-week matchup with the Bobcats winners of five of their last seven matches. After starting the season 0-3, UT Arlington rebounded to even its record a 3-3 after sweeping the competition at its home tournament.
Following a five-match losing streak, the Mavericks won three in a row at home before beginning the Southland Conference season with a 2-2 mark.
Emily Shearin leads the team that ranks first in the conference in blocking with 1.12 blocks per set. She also has a team-high .254 hitting percentage. Offensively, Amanda Aguilera is averaging a team-high 3.17 kills per set.
Scouting Northwestern State
Co-Head Coaches: Hugh & Stephanie Hernesman
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: Texas State leads, 32-2
Last Meeting: Texas State won, 3-1 (10/17/10)
Northwestern State holds a 2-3 record in Southland Conference action after wins against Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston State. The Lady Demons have been on the road for just one of their five SLC mathches thus far, that being at Central Arkansas where they lost in three sets. Northwestern State also has losses against Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls to begin conference play.
Laranda Spann, the SLC Defensive Player of the Week during week one of the season, leads the Southland Conference in blocks per set at 1.26. The senior has totaled 31 solo blocks and 47 assisted blocks through 17 matches. Kourtney Adams paces the team offensively with a 2.65 kills per set average.
Top Notes
3-1 Start
The Bobcats began their Southland Conference schedule with a pair of wins against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA before splitting matches against Lamar and McNeese State a weekend ago.
At UT Arlington
Texas State is 6-4 in its last 10 trips to UT Arlington. The Bobcats swept the Mavericks a season ago at Texas Hall while playing in one of the longest sets in Bobcat history since rally scoring was implemented. The Bobcats captured the second set with a score of 41-39 before capping the match with a 25-16 victory in the third set.
Top Two In Blocks
Texas State's game against UT Arlington will feature the top two blocking teams in the Southland Conference. The Mavericks lead the SLC with an average of 2.28 blocks per set, while the Bobcats are right behind at 2.24 blocks per set.
Versus Northwestern State
The Bobcats have lost just twice all-time to the Lady Demons, and neither of those losses came at Strahan Coliseum. Texas State holds a perfect 18-0 record versus Northwestern State at home.
Southland Conference Standings
The Bobcats lead the Southland Conference West Division with a 3-1 record in conference action. UTSA also has a 3-1 mark in SLC play, while UT Arlington sits in third place in the division at 2-2. In the East Division, Central Arkansas has a perfect 5-0 mark, while Lamar is 4-1 for second place.
Honorable Mention
Amber Calhoun was an honorable mention for the SLC Defensive Player of the Week award last week after turning in a pair of standout performances. She led the team with 11 blocks (1.22 blocks per set) during a 1-1 week for the Bobcats. Calhoun tied a season high with seven blocks (one solo, six assists) against Lamar before notching four blocks (one solo, three assists) versus McNeese State. The junior helped hold the opposition to just a .172 hitting percentage for the week. Calhoun also had a great week offensively. She hit .564 for the week while also averaging 2.89 kills per set and posting double-digit kills in both of the team's matches. A Houston, Texas, native, Calhoun had a career-high 16 kills to go along with a season-high .667 hitting percentage in a four-set win at McNeese State before finishing with 10 kills and a .444 hitting percentage against Lamar. For the week, Calhoun led the team with 32.5 points.
