Game Notes
San Marcos, Texas – When the Texas State volleyball team travels to Lamar and McNeese State for a pair of road matches, the Bobcats will be seeking to accomplish something that has not been done since the 2003 season, a 4-0 start in Southland Conference play.
The drive for a 4-0 start begins on Thursday when Texas State (9-7, 2-0 SLC) heads to Lamar (6-8, 2-1 SLC) for a 7 p.m. contest. Following that match, the Bobcats will travel to Lake Charles, La., where they will take on McNeese State (6-11, 1-2 SLC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday in their second match in three days.
Live coverage will be available for both matches. Fans can follow the match on Thursday with live stats provided through the Lamar athletics website, www.lamarcardinals.com, and also with a live, interactive chat from McDonald Gym in Beaumont, Texas, provided below through www.txstatebobcats.com.
On Saturday, fans can follow all of the action with live stats and live video, both provided through McNeese State's athletics website, www.mcneesesports.com.
The Bobcats have regained momentum to begin their Southland Conference schedule following a pair of victories a weekend ago against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA. After starting the season with a 2-4 record, the Bobcats have rebounded to compile a 7-3 record since.
After its first two SLC matches, Texas State finds itself among the conference leaders in every statistical category during conference play. The Bobcats are leading the Southland Conference in blocking (3.00 per set), aces (1.71 per set), assists (13.43 per set), opponent hitting percentage (.093) and digs (18.71 per set), while ranking second in kills (14.14 per set) and third in hitting percentage (.226).
Scouting Lamar
Head Coach: Justin Gibert
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: Texas State leads, 38-32
Last Meeting: Texas State won, 3-1 (11/21/09)
The Lady Cardinals have had an up-and-down season so far. They lost their first three matches before winning three in a row and then losing three more. Since then, Lamar has won three of its last five matches to bring its record to 6-8 this season.
Most recently, the Lady Cardinals defeated Southeastern Louisiana to pick up their second Southalnd Conference victory of the season after also defeating McNeese State. The team's only SLC loss thus far came against Nicholls.
Lamar's Jayme Bazile leads the SLC in blocking (1.28/set) and is second in hitting percentage (.350). As a team, Lamar is third in the conference in blocking (2.13/set), one spot behind Texas State.
Scouting McNeese State
Head Coach: Terry Gamble
Conference: Southland
All-Time Series: Texas State leads, 28-11
Last Meeting: Texas State won, 3-2 (10/31/09)
McNeese State has bounced back from an 0-6 start to record a a 6-5 mark in the team's last 11 matches. The Cowgirls, who hosted a tournament at Memorial Gym in Lake Charles earlier this season, are a perfect 4-0 at home this season.
The Cowgirls are 1-2 in the Southland Conference so far with a win against Nicholls and losses to Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana.
McNeese State boasts a balanced offensive attack with three players averaging more than 2.0 kills per set. Priscill Massengale leads the team with 155 kills on the season. The Cowgirls' setter, Becky Bekelja, is averaging 9.29 assists per set, while Whitney Ellisor leads the back row with a 3.98 digs per set average.
Top Notes
2-0 Start
The Bobcats began their Southland Conference schedule with a pair of wins last weekend against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA. Texas State defeated the Islanders in straight sets before taking a 3-1 victory over the Roadrunners.
At Lamar
Texas State will attempt to win a match at Lamar for the first time since the 2004 season. The Bobcats are 0-3 in matches on the road against the Lady Cardinals during that span.
At McNeese State
The Bobcats travel to McNeese State for the second time in as many years to play the Cowgirls. Texas State won a five-set thriller at Memorial Gym last season, taking the victory by scores of 25-15, 25-21, 21-25, 18-25, 15-9.
Seeking 4-0
Texas State seeks to start the SLC season 4-0 for the first time since the 2003 season. The Bobcats began that season with an 8-0 record in conference play before McNeese State halted the run with a 3-1 victory in Lake Charles, La.
Southland Conference Standings
The Bobcats are one of just two teams to have an undefeated Southland Conference record going into this week's contests. Texas State (2-0) and Central Arkansas (3-0) are both perfect in the SLC. The Bobcats sit atop the SLC West Division, while UCA leads the SLC East Division.
Honorable Mentions
Both Amber Calhoun and AJ Watlington were among those listed as honorable mentions for the Southland Conference weekly awards given out on Monday. Calhoun led the team's defense that posted season highs in blocks and digs against UTSA as she posted a personal season high with seven blocks (one solo, six assists). The junior tallied five blocks (two solo, three assists) during a three-set win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She is currently leading the conference in blocks during SLC play after she averaged 1.71 blocks per set in the team's opening weekend. Calhoun propelled the Bobcats to the top spot in the conference in blocking as a team during SLC play and also helped out offensively with 10 kills and a .267 hitting percentage. Watlington was a consistent offensive force in both of the Bobcats' wins as she was the only player to reach double-digits in kills in both contests. She posted 12 kills with a .391 hitting percentage in a three-set win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before tallying 11 kills versus UTSA.
