Box Score

San Marcos, Texas – Three sets was all it took for the Texas State volleyball team to improve to 8-1 at Strahan Coliseum on Thursday evening as the Bobcats defeated visiting Nicholls by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-20. The victory runs Texas State's winning streak against the Colonels to nine matches and the team's home winning streak to five matches.

With the win, the Bobcats further cement themselves in second place in the Southland Conference West Division, improving to 16-11 overall and 9-4 in the SLC. For Nicholls, the defeat continues a rough stretch that has seen the Colonels fall from second place to fourth place in the SLC East Division with a 13-13 overall record and 5-8 mark in conference.

It did not take long for Texas State to establish control of the match as the team jumped out to a 15-8 lead in the first set. Nicholls briefly cut its deficit to four, but the Bobcats used strong serving from junior Amber Calhoun to help the team push its lead to nine, 20-11, following a kill from freshman Amari Deardorff.

The Colonels made a late surge in the opening set to come within six, 24-18, but head coach Karen Chisum's move to insert sophomore Matti Schumacher late the set paid off as the outside hitter put down her first kill of the match to secure the 25-18 victory for Texas State.

Bobcat errors and strong net play from Nicholls allowed the visitors to jump in front during the second set as the Colonels held a 10-6 lead to force a Texas State timeout. Nicholls maintained its four-point advantage until the Bobcats went on a four-point run behind the serving of junior Jennifer Neice to tie the match at 16-16.

The teams played even until 20-20 when a block from Calhoun and senior AJ Watlington ignited a late surge from Texas State. Senior Melinda Cave followed with a pair of kills before Watlington's big swing gave the team set point, 24-22. And the Bobcats would capitalize on that opportunity as a rally ended in a Nicholls attack that went wide to give Texas State the second set, 25-22.

After Nicholls recorded the first point of the third set, Texas State responded as setter Caleigh McCorquodale found Madeline Gaffney for a kill to tie it at 1-1. The Bobcats would not trail from there on out as Chisum's squad steadily increased its lead to 16-11 on a heads-up play from freshman Preslie Alexander, who pushed a tipped ball from Nicholls back over the net to the deep corner for the point.

Nicholls pulled back within four, 23-19, in the later stages of the set, but kills from Cave and Gaffney iced the three-set victory for the Bobcats.

Schumacher paced the offense with nine kills while posting a .400 hitting percentage. Cave finished second on the team with seven kills, and both Watlington and Calhoun totaled six for the victors.

McCorquodale ran the offense to a .250 hitting percentage, while finishing with 40 assists and 10 digs for her team-high eighth double-double of the season. Also finishing in double-digits for digs was Neice who tied McCorquodale for the team high with 10.

Calhoun had three blocks, two assists and one solo, for Texas State which won the blocking battle, 6.0-5.0. The Bobcats also held advantages in digs (54-52), aces (5-2), kills (44-30) and hitting percentage (.250-.093).