Austin Peay: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)  Alabama: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Texas State volleyball split its two matches on Saturday in the second day of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash hosted by Alabama at the Foster Auditorium. The Bobcats defeated Austin Peay, 3-1, in the team's first match of the day before falling to Alabama in a five setter in the nightcap. Texas State moved to 2-1 on the season after finishing the two-day tournament with a pair of wins.

Sophomore Ashlee Hilbun and freshman Laura Whalen both were named to the Bama Bash All-Tournament Team. Hilbun nearly recorded triple-doubles in the first two games of the tournament and was consistent in all aspects for the Bobcats for all three matches. The middle blocker finished the three-match tournament with 25 kills, 27 digs and 23 blocks. Whalen started all three matches as the team's libero and let the team with 48 digs, while also serving as the team's primary passer.

Texas State – 3, Austin Peay – 1

The Bobcats came out clicking in all aspects in the first set against the Lady Govs, going on a 10-point run early in the opening set to take a 16-5 advantage behind the tough serving of Rachel Doyle. The Bobcats posted four consecutive blocks at one point during the run with Hilbun getting in on all four stuffs. Texas State finished the set strong, scoring nine of the last 12 points of the set to win 25-9 in the opening stanza.

The two teams played even for the first 10 points of the second set before the Bobcat offense took off to the tune of a .517 hitting percentage. The Bobcats steadily increased their lead throughout the set, culminating in a 7-1 run to close out the set, 25-13. Amari Deardorff led the Bobcat offense through the first two sets with eight kills and a .800 hitting percentage in her first action of the season. The team committed just one hitting error through the first two sets combined as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Austin Peay.

After intermission, the Lady Govs came out inspired and took the third set in a close one, 25-23, but the Bobcats were able to come back in the fourth set to secure the four-set victory. After the Lady Govs jumped out to an 8-3 lead, the Bobcats chipped away until a pair of attack errors by Austin Peay tied the score at 10-10. The score remained tied until 15-15 when the Bobcats went on a 10-4 run to close out the set and the match, 25-19.

Four Bobcats finished the match with double-digit kills, led by Deardroff's 15. She finished with a .423 hitting percentage and also contributed five digs. Melissa Toth reached double figures for the second consecutive match as she totaled 14 kills on 31 attempts to go along with a pair of blocks. Alexandra Simms reach 10 kills for the first time in her collegiate career, and Amber Calhoun posted 10 kills with a .400 hitting percentage and eight digs. Neither Simms nor Calhoun committed a hitting error in the win.

Caleigh McCorquodale spread the ball around all afternoon to her hitters and kept the Austin Peay block guessing. She finished the match with the team's first double-double of the season, totaling 41 assists with 11 digs.

Hilbun turned in her second straight outstanding matches across the board as she finished with nine kills, eight blocks and nine digs. The sophomore middle blocker flirted with a triple-double for the second straight match after she posted 13 digs, nine kills and nine blocks on Friday.

Whalen led the team with 22 digs from her libero position, marking the second match in a row with double figure digs to start her Bobcat career.

Alabama – 3, Texas State – 2

The Bobcats started out with a flurry much like they did in their first two matches of the season, taking an early 9-5 lead over the Crimson Tide after a kill from Toth. But difficulty at the service line would doom the Bobcats as the team missed eight serves in the opening set. The Bobcats still had a shot down the stretch, tying the score at 23-23 on a kill from Hilbun before a service error and net violation on the Bobcats gave the opening period to the home team.

Texas State could not regroup in the second set as the Crimson Tide took an early lead and never relinquished it. After Alabama jumped out to a 10-3 lead, Texas State scored the next four and looked to be back in the set, but the Crimson Tide turned it up and pulled away for a 25-13 victory in the set and 2-0 lead in the match.

The Bobcats came out of the break and trailed in the third set 8-3 before making a comeback to tie the match at 9-9. Head coach Karen Chisum inserted freshmen Amy Bremer and Casey Heising in the match and the pair gave the Bobcats a spark, helping lead the team to a 25-22 comeback win. The two teams were tied at 18-18, but Whalen served three straight points for the Bobcats to put the team in front 22-18, capping off the rally with an ace. The teams then traded points until Calhoun capped off the set victory with a kill to make the match 2-1.

The fourth set was all Bobcats as Bremer, Heising, Hilbun and James willed the team to a 25-15 win. Bremer dished out 10 assists, while James had four kills and both Heising and Hilbun chipped in with three apiece. Hilbun also posted three of her team-high six blocks in the set that forced a fifth and deciding stanza.

Alabama started quickly in the fifth set, and pulled out to an 8-3 lead before a three-point run for the Bobcats made the score 8-6. However, with the boisterous home crowd behind them, the Crimson Tide pulled away to a 15-9 victory to take the match.

The Bobcats held a 55-51 advantage in kills for the match, while the Crimson Tide led in blocks (10-8) and digs (69-58).

James and Calhoun tied for the team lead with nine kills apiece, while McCorquodale (23) and Bremer (19) each finished with double-digit assists. Doyle had 14 digs and Whalen had 13 for the Bobcats.