Texas State Bobcats (22-7, 13-1 SLC) at UTSA Roadrunners (19-9, 13-1 SLC)
Date: Thursday, November 10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Site: San Antonio, Texas - Convocation Center
Radio: www.txstatebobcats.com & 89.9 KTSW
Live Video: www.goutsa.com
Live Stats: www.goutsa.com
Texas State Bobcats (22-7, 13-1 SLC) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (13-18, 5-9 SLC)
Date: Saturday, November 12
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Site: Corpus Christi, Texas - Dugan Wellness Center
Live Chat: www.txstatebobcats.com
Live Video: www.goislanders.com
Live Stats: www.goislanders.com
Game Notes (PDF)
San Marcos, Texas – With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Texas State volleyball team is in exactly the position it wanted to be entering the 2011 campaign – in control of its own destiny. The Bobcats can secure their sixth Southland Conference regular season championship and the top seed in next week's SLC Tournament with a pair of wins in the final week of the regular season.
It will be a difficult road to the title for head coach Karen Chisum's squad which will head to San Antonio on Thursday for a showdown with UTSA before the team visits Corpus Christi for the regular season finale against the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Thursday's match against UTSA (19-9) pits the top two teams in the Southland Conference against each other for the second time this season. The teams are tied atop the SLC standings, each sporting a 13-1 conference record, with the Bobcats' lone loss of the season coming at the hands of the Roadrunners on September 22 in the conference opener.
Since that time, Texas State (22-7) has not lost to a Southland opponent, rattling off 13 consecutive SLC victories. Meanwhile, UTSA went the first 12 matches of its SLC slate without dropping a set before Sam Houston ended that streak, along with the Roadrunners' winning streak, with a five-set win last Thursday.
With SLC regular season championship implications on the line, the Bobcats and Roadrunners will square off at the Convocation Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. Fans unable to make it to the match can follow along with radio through www.TxStateBobcats.com and locally in San Marcos on 89.9 KTSW. In addition, the UTSA athletics website, www.goutsa.com, will be hosting live video and stats for the match.
On Saturday, the Bobcats will look to remain unblemished against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi all-time, while the Islanders will look to secure its place in the eight-team Southland Conference Tournament field. Currently, the Islanders (13-18) are tied for eighth in the Southland with a 5-9 record in the league.
First serve of the match between Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is scheduled for a 1 p.m. at the Dugan Wellness Center. A live, interactive chat will be available for the match through www.TxStateBobcats.com, while live video and stats can be accessed through the Islanders' athletics website, www.goislanders.com.
Notes:
Versus This Week's Opponents
Texas State will have a rematch on Thursday with the only team in the Southland Conference to defeat the Bobcats this season, UTSA. The Roadrunners handed Texas State a 3-0 defeat at Strahan Coliseum to begin the SLC season to make the Bobcats' all-time record 49-11 against UTSA. Texas State is 8-2 in its last 10 meetings with the UTSA, including a 3-1 record in the team's last four matches at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats will look to remain perfect against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi all-time (14-0) in the team's final game of the regular season. Texas State swept the Islanders in their visit to San Marcos earlier this season in which Lindy DeGeare recorded a season-high seven aces. The Bobcats are 7-3 in their last 10 regular season finale matches.
For The Title
Thursday's match against UTSA will go a long ways in deciding the Southland Conference regular season champion. The Bobcats and Roadrunners are tied at 13-1 in the SLC this season, four games ahead of third-place Sam Houston State. Here's how either team can win the title:
Texas State wins SLC championship if:
• TXST wins both Thursday and Saturday
• TXST wins Thursday and both TXST and UTSA lose on Saturday
UTSA wins SLC championship if:
• UTSA wins both Thursday and Saturday
• UTSA wins Thursday and both TXST and UTSA lose on Saturday
Teams will share the SLC championship if:
• Both finish the season with a 14-2 record in conference (tie-breakers will determine tournament seeding)
About The Streak
Texas State is riding 13-game winning streak in Southland Conference matches entering Tuesday.
• The Bobcats' streak is the second longest since joining the Southland Conference in 1987.
• The only SLC winning streak longer in Texas State's history was in 2000 when the Bobcats went 20-0.
1,000th Win
The Texas State program earned its 1,000th win in the program's history last weekend against Nicholls. The team's all-time record is now 1,001-610-19.
Record Chasing
Senior Amber Calhoun and sophomore Amari Deardorff are both chasing Texas State records entering the week. Calhoun needs 11 block assists to set the program record, and she also needs to increase her career hitting percentage of .325 by just .007 to move into first place in that category. Deardorff currently has a hitting percentage of .348 for the season, which is tied for fourth in a single season at Texas State and behind record of .392.
National Rankings
As a team, Texas State not only leads the Southland Conference but ranks 18th in the nation in team hitting percentage at .265. The Bobcats also rank in the top-100 in the nation in aces per set (27th), kills per set (51st), assists per set (56th) and blocks per set (75th).
.300 Or Better
Texas State has hit .300 or better in 14 matches this season, while not allowing any opponent to post a .300 hitting percentage. The highest opponent hitting percentage allowed by the Bobcats this season was .296 in the first meeting against UTSA.
Ace Advantage
Texas State has not trailed an opponent in aces for a match since the team's last match against UTSA when the Roadrunners held a 5-3 advantage.
20-win Seasons
Head coach Karen Chisum now has 20 20-win seasons during her 32-year head coaching career.
