Texas State Bobcats (14-6, 5-1 SLC) vs. Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (10-11, 3-4 SLC)
Date: Thursday, October 13
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Site: Nacogdoches, Texas - Shelton Gym
Live Chat: www.txstatebobcats.com
Live Stats: www.sfajacks.com
Texas State Bobcats (14-6, 5-1 SLC) vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats (11-9, 5-2 SLC)
Date: Saturday, October 15
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Huntsville, Texas - Johnson Coliseum
Live Chat: www.txstatebobcats.com
Live Stats: www.gobearkats.com
Game Notes (PDF)
San Marcos, Texas – Texas State will look to keep pace with the conference leaders this week as the Bobcats hit the road for a pair of games to conclude their stretch of four consecutive away matches. The team will visit Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches on Thursday, October 13 before playing Sam Houston State in Huntsville on Saturday evening.
Entering the week with a 5-1 record in the Southland Conference, the Bobcats are one game out of first place in the league. UTSA leads the Southland with a perfect 6-0 mark, while Sam Houston State is tied for third with a 5-2 record. Stephen F. Austin enters the week with a 3-4 record, tied for seventh place in the 12-team conference.
The Bobcats bring a five-match winning streak into Thursday's contest with Stephen F. Austin, which is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Shelton Gym. Texas State will look to duplicate its success from last season in Nacogdoches when the Bobcats swept SFA.
On Saturday, the Bobcats venture to Sam Houston State in an attempt to erase memories of a season ago when the Bobcats were upended by the Bearkats, 3-1, in their regular season meeting in Huntsville before falling to Lamar in the first round of the SLC Tournament, which was also hosted in Johnson Coliseum. First serve between SHSU and Texas State is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.
With two matches this week, the Bobcats will look to close in on the program's 1,000th all-time victory. The volleyball program has 993 wins all-time, 730 of which have come since Karen Chisum took over head coaching duties in 1980.
Fans can follow the Bobcats' progress toward 1,000 wins with live coverage of both games this week. Live stats will be available through www.sfajacks.com for the Stephen F. Austin match and www.gobearkats.com for the Sam Houston State match. In addition, an interactive live chat with play-by-play analysis of both games will be available on www.TxStateBobcats.com.
Following the team's pair of matches this week, the Bobcats will return to Strahan Coliseum for their Bobcats Fight Against Breast Cancer pink match on Wednesday, October 19 against UT Arlington. More details on that match are available here.
Notes:
Versus This Week's Opponents
Texas State will look to extend is winning streak over Stephen F. Austin to seven games when the two teams meet on Thursday in Nacogdoches. The Bobcats defeated the Ladyjacks, 3-1, at home last year before sweeping SFA on the road in the second meeting of the season between them. Texas State holds a 48-26-1 all-time record against Stephen F. Austin.
Texas State split its two matches last season against Sam Houston State, defeating the Bearkats, 3-1, in San Marcos before falling, 3-1, in Huntsville. The Bobcats have won 10 of the last 12 matches against Sam Houston State and hold a narrow 50-48-1 all-time advantage.
During Conference Play
Texas State's offense has been the best in the Southland Conference during league action so far this season. In conference matches, the Bobcats lead the SLC with a .287 hitting percentage and 14.48 kills per set average. The team is also tied for the conference lead with an average of 1.71 aces per set, while ranking second in the league with 13.19 assists per set and a .144 opponent hitting percentage.
Efficient Offense
Offensively, the Bobcats have flourished of late, hitting .300 of higher in each of the team's last four matches and six of its last eight contests.
Offensive Player Of The Week Honorable Mention
Sophomore Amari Deardorff was chosen an SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention after she guided the Bobcats to a 2-0 week, leading the team in kills in both of the team's matches for the week to help extend the team's winning streak to five matches. She averaged 3.71 kills per set for the week while hitting .460. The right side hitter finished with 12 kills and a .455 hitting percentage against UT Arlington before recording 14 kills and a .464 hitting percentage against Northwestern State. Deardorff has now recorded at least 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage in four consecutive matches as she raised her hitting percentage to .345 for the season.
