Box Score
San Antonio, Texas – Season highs in both blocks and digs led the Texas State volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over UTSA in San Antonio on Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats improve to 9-7 overall and 2-0 in the conference after defeating the Roadrunners 25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 25-16.
Texas State improved to 48-10 all-time against UTSA, while sending the Roadrunners to a 7-9 overall record and 1-1 mark in the Southland Conference.
The first set was played within three points in its entirety as neither team could make a substantial run to pull away. Within the Bobcats first 16 points, the score was tied 14 times until Texas State captured its first advantage of the match after winning three-of-four points to go in front 18-16 on a back row kill from Mo Middleton. However, UTSA came back to tie the match once again at 20-20.
After the teams traded points, Texas State won the next three to grab a 24-21 lead and earn a set point. Following a UTSA point, AJ Watlington made a heads-up play to give the Bobcats the first set. The senior from Aledo, Texas, was set in the middle of the floor, and she tipped around the UTSA triple block attempt for her fourth kill of the match.
Set two began similarly to the first as the score remained close through the first half of the stanza. Unlike the opening set, UTSA went on a run midway through, opening up an 18-12 advantage. A block assist from Amber Calhoun and Melinda Cave put an end to the UTSA spurt and kick-started an 8-2 run by Texas State that tied the score at 20-20.
UTSA was able to flip the script on the Bobcats to finish the second set as the Roadrunners pulled away late after blocking a pair of Texas State attacks to win, 25-22.
Freshman Preslie Alexander helped the Bobcats gain the early lead in the third set as she put down a pair of kills from her outside hitter position and teamed with Ashlee Hilbun for a block. Texas State kept the pressure on in the early going, opening a 9-4 lead on a block by Hilbun and Cave to force a UTSA timeout.
Texas State stayed strong out of the timeout, putting up a big block that helped the team extend its lead to 15-8. After the Roadrunners called their second timeout of the set, UTSA put together three consecutive points to trim the Texas State lead to four, but the Bobcats block helped push the lead back to seven as Calhoun was a part of two blocks on back-to-back plays for an 18-11 lead.
Alexander and Cave were pivotal for the Bobcats down the stretch, recording four kills between the two as the team cruised to a 25-15 win in the all-important third set. The Bobcats finished the period with 6.0 total blocks while holding the Roadrunners to a negative-.171 hitting percentage.
Watlington pounded a kill through the UTSA block to begin the fourth stanza and set the tone for the Bobcats as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead before increasing its advantage to 13-7 midway through the set. An ace by Danielle Sanchou made it 18-10 in favor of Texas State as the team ran away with the final set by a final count of 25-16, closing it out on a tip-kill by Middleton.
The Bobcats set a season high with 12.0 blocks while holding the Roadrunner attack to .054 hitting percentage. Texas State also notched a season-best 86 digs as the defense carried the team to the victory.
Sanchou tallied a career-high 20 digs in the contest, and she was joined in double-digit saves by Shelbi Irvin (13) and Caleigh McCorquodale (11).
Both Irvin and McCorquodale also had double-doubles as they finished with 33 and 17 assists, respectively. For Irvin, it was her sixth double-double of the season, while McCorquodale recorded her fourth.
Calhoun led the defense at the net with a season-high seven blocks, while Hilbun and Alexander chipped in with four each.
Offensively, Alexander (16), Middleton (15) and Watlington (11) all had double-digit kills, while Cave finished with seven after entering the match in the second set.
Texas State now has a four-day break before returning to action on Thursday, September 30 at Lamar.
