Box Score
San Marcos, Texas – It was a fitting goodbye for the four Texas State volleyball seniors who played their final match at Strahan Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, as they did something that has become second nature to them – leading the Bobcats to a victory.
Melinda Cave, Shelbi Irvin, Mo Middleton and AJ Watlington were each outstanding on Saturday as the group combined for 33 kills and 29 assists in a 3-0 victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the team's regular season finale. The Bobcats won 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 as they finished the season with eight consecutive victories at home to post an 11-1 record at Strahan Coliseum for the 2010 campaign.
With the win, the Bobcats closed out the 2010 regular season winning nine of their final 11 matches to compile a 19-11 overall record. Texas State finished its Southland Conference schedule with a 12-4 mark to secure the third seed in next weekend's Southland Conference Tournament in Huntsville, Texas.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell to 12-18 overall and 5-11 in the Southland Conference as its hopes of earning a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament took a hit.
Texas State will face the sixth seed, which will be determined following the completion of Saturday's SLC slate of games, next Friday in Huntsville.
The Bobcats came out of the gates strong against the Islanders and maintained their high level of play throughout Saturday's match. With the four seniors leading the way, Texas State was able to cruise to the three set win. After taking the first two sets by identical 25-17 scores, the Bobcats again pulled in front in the third set and held a comfortable 19-13 lead in the late stages of the contest, allowing head coach Karen Chisum to substitute for her four seniors who each left to standing ovations.
Cave led the way for the Bobcats as she totaled a season-high 14 kills and career-best .700 hitting percentage. She also posted a season-high 11 digs in the contest to record her first double-double of the 2010 season.
Irvin was consistent as usual from her setter position, helping the team to a .385 hitting percentage as she dished out a team-high 22 assists. She also finished with seven digs and an ace for the Bobcats.
Middleton played well on the outside for Texas State and also had her hand in several assists. She tallied 10 kills on 21 swings for a .429 hitting percentage while also adding seven digs and a career-high five assists.
Watlington, the team's leader in kills, finished the match with nine kills, five digs and a pair of assists. As one of the team's primary passers, Watlington had zero reception errors on her 15 serve reception opportunities.
As a team, the Bobcats led in kills (50-34), assists (45-30) and digs (51-38), while the Islanders held slight advantages in aces (5-4) and blocks (5-3).
Following the completion of all Southland Conference matches on Saturday, the seedings for next weekend's Southland Conference Tournament will be set. The Bobcats will play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 19 with their opponent yet to be determined. Check back to txstatebobcats.com for more information on the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament.
