Utah State Invitational
Tournament: Utah State Invitational
Dates: Thursday-Saturday, September 1-3
Teams: Texas State, Utah State, Idaho State, Syracuse
Site: Utah State University - Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
Live Chat: www.txstatebobcats.com
Live Stats: www.utahstateaggies.com
Live Streaming: www.utahstateaggies.com (Utah State matches only)
Tournament Schedule (Central Time):
Thursday, September 1
8:00 p.m. - Utah State vs. Idaho State
Friday, September 2
6:00 p.m. - Texas State vs. Idaho State
8:00 p.m. - Utah State vs. Syracuse
Saturday, September 3
12:00 p.m. - Texas State vs. Syracuse
6:00 p.m. - Idaho State vs. Syracuse
8:00 p.m. - Utah State vs. Texas State
West Virginia Match
Teams: Texas State vs. West Virginia
Date/Time: Monday, September 5 - 5 p.m.
Site: Texas State University - Strahan Coliseum
Live Stats: www.txstatebobcats.com
Streaming: www.txstatebobcats.com
Radio: www.txstatebobcats.com & 89.9 KTSW
Game Notes
San Marcos, Texas – For the second weekend in row, the Texas State volleyball team will travel out of state for a tournament when the Bobcats head to Logan, Utah for the Utah State Invitational. Texas State will then return to San Marcos and quickly turn around to play its home opener on Monday against West Virginia.
The Bobcats begin play at the Utah State Invitational on Friday evening when they take on Idaho State at 6 p.m. CST before returning to action on Saturday with a game at 12 p.m. CST against Syracuse. Texas State will then wrap up play in Utah on Saturday night against host Utah State at 8 p.m. CST.
Texas State's match against Utah State will be streamed live through Utah State's website, www.utahstateaggies.com. That site will also provide live stats for each match of the tournament. Additional, there will be an interactive live chat on www.txstatebobcats.com for each Texas State match in which fans can chime in with comments while following along with all the action straight from the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
The Bobcats will head back to San Marcos and waste no time in getting back to action as the team will take on West Virginia on Labor Day at 5 p.m. in Strahan Coliseum for the team's home opener. Doors will open up one hour prior to the first serve at 4 p.m.
Both season tickets and individual game tickets are on-sale now through the Texas State Athletics Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting www.txstatebobcats.com/tickets or calling the ticket office at 512-245-2272.
Fans unable to attend Monday's match can follow along with live streaming, radio and live stats through www.txstatebobcats.com.
Notes
In Utah
The Bobcats have previously played two regular season tournaments in Utah prior to this weekend's Utah State Invitational. In 2003, Texas State made the trip to Ogden for the Weber State Classic at which the Bobcats finished 1-2 with a win against Weber State and losses to Utah State and Oral Roberts. In 1997, the Bobcats visited Salt Lake City for the Utah Classic at which the team finished 0-3 with losses to Purdue, Utah and Weber State. The team has also played one postseason tournament in Utah when the team traveled to Provo for the 1972 AIAW National Tournament. Texas State went 5-3 in the tournament, eventually falling to UCLA in an elimination game.
Versus The Utah State Invitational Field
Texas State has played all three of its opponents in this weekend's tournament previously. The Bobcats defeated Syracuse in their only previous meeting, which came in 2009 at the SMU Tournament. Texas State has twice played Utah State, defeating the Aggies in 1990 at the Whataburger Classic in Arlington before losing to them in 2003 at the Weber State Classic. Texas State fell to Idaho State in their only previous meeting, coming in 1995 at the Paul Mitchell Classic hosted in Reno, Nevada.
Southland Conference Defensive Player Of The Week
Sophomore Ashlee Hilbun stood out with her defensive prowess both at the net and in the back row at last weekend's Hampton Inn Bama Bash and was named the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week. A middle blocker from Austin, Texas, Hilbun played full rotations for the first time in her career and excelled in all aspects defensively for the Bobcats. Hilbun led the team with a conference-best 23 blocks (20 assists, three solo) in three matches for an average of 1.77 blocks per set and added 27 digs for an average of 2.08 digs per set. The 6-foot-2 Hilbun set a career high for digs in her first match of the season against Alabama State when she recorded 13 saves to go along with nine kills and nine blocks. She then flirted with a triple-double for the second straight match when she posted nine kills, nine digs and eight blocks against Austin Peay. In the team's final match of the weekend against Alabama, Hilbun again led the team with six blocks and added five digs.
Hampton Inn Bama Bash All-Tournament Team
Texas State had two players selected to the Hampton Inn Bama Bash All-Tournament Team after finishing 2-1 in the two-day tournament. Sophomore Ashlee Hilbun and freshman Laura Whalen each were selected to the team after the Bobcats defeated Alabama State and Austin Peay before falling to host Alabama in five sets in the tournament finale. Hilbun, a middle blocker, was a consistent performer across for the board and 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.
Weekend Recap
Texas State won its first two games at last weekend's Hampton Inn Bama Bash before losing to Alabama in a five-setter to conclude the tournament. The Bobcats came out strong against Alabama State in their first match, easily taking the first two sets by identical 25-13 scores. Out of intermission, Alabama State found its groove and came back to take the third set, 25-21, but the Bobcats were able to regroup in the fourth set to scratch out a 25-23 win to secure the match. Against Austin Peay, the Bobcats again started strong as they captured the first two sets in convincing fashion. Much like the match against Alabama State, Austin Peay was able to come back and take the third set before the Bobcats won the fourth set to take the match. The Bobcats struggled to find their rhythm early in the final match of the tournament against Alabama, dropping the first two sets before turning it on over the next two sets to even the match at 2-2. However, the Crimson Tide jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set and never looked back as they earned a 15-9 fifth-set victory.
