Tournament: Mean Green Classic
Dates: Friday-Saturday, September 16-17
Teams: Texas State (6-5), Jackson State (3-5), Kennesaw State (4-7), North Texas (7-4)
Site: North Texas - Volleyball Center
Live Streaming: www.meangreensports.com (North Texas matches only)
Live Stats: www.meangreensports.com
Live Chat: www.txstatebobcats.com/vbgameday
Tournament Schedule:
Friday, September 16
4:30 p.m. - Jackson State vs. Kennesaw State
7 p.m. - Texas State vs. North Texas
Saturday, September 17
11 a.m. - Jackson State vs. North Texas
1:30 p.m. - Kennesaw State vs. Texas State
4:30 p.m. - Texas State vs. Jackson State
7 p.m. - Kennesaw State vs. North Texas
Game Notes
San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team will play its final preconference tournament this weekend when the Bobcats travel to Denton, Texas for the Mean Green Classic hosted by North Texas. The two-day tournament will begin on Friday, September 16 with a match between Jackson State and Kennesaw State before the Bobcats take the floor Friday evening at 7 p.m. for a match against host North Texas.
Day two of the tournament will feature a morning match between Jackson State and North Texas before Texas State plays its second tournament game against Kennesaw State at 1:30 p.m. The Bobcats will have a short turnaround after that match and come back to play at 4:30 p.m. against Jackson State to wrap up their tournament.
Kennesaw State and North Texas will play in the tournament's final match at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.
The Bobcats enter this weekend with a 6-5 record after going 3-2 in five matches a week ago. The team began the week strong with a sweep of West Virginia in its home opener before splitting four matches at their home tournament, the CenturyLink Premier.
Sophomore right side hitter Amari Deardorff had a standout week for the Bobcats, leading the team in kills in four of the five matches with a hitting percentage of .399. For her efforts, she was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Jackson State enters the tournament with a 3-5 mark, while Kennesaw State is 4-7 so far this season. North Texas, which is hosting its second tournament of the fall, is 7-4 in 11 matches this season.
Live coverage of each Texas State match this weekend will be available through www.txstatebobcats.com. Live stats and a live, interactive chat will be available for each game, while free video streaming will also be available for the match between Texas State and North Texas on Friday evening.
Notes:
Versus This Weekend's Opponents
The Bobcats have played North Texas 31 times in the team's history, winning 25 games while just losing four and tying twice. Texas State has won each of the last two meetings versus the Mean Green, both of which came in Strahan Coliseum. The last time Texas State traveled to Denton was in 1995 when North Texas won in five sets. Prior to that meeting, the Bobcats had won 13 consecutive matches against the Mean Green.
Texas State has just one meeting in its history against Jackson State, while Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between the Bobcats and Kennesaw State. In 1981, Texas State swept Jackson State in the lone previous match between the two teams.
Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week
Sophomore Amari Deardorff became the second Texas State player this season to earn Southland Conference Player of the Week honors when she collected accolades for her performance on the offensive end during the third week of the season. Deardorff began the week with an impressive performance in a sweep over West Virginia, posting 11 kills with a .500 hitting percentage. She took her strong play into the weekend in the CenturyLink Premier where she led the Bobcats in kills in three of the four matches, earning her a spot on the CenturyLink Premier All-Tournament Team. Against Houston Baptist, the Austin native pieced together a 16-kill performance with a .469 hitting percentage, and in the Bobcats win over Louisiana-Lafayette, Deardorff had an 18-kill match with a .425 hitting percentage. For the week, the Bobcat right side hitter led the offensive attack with 64 total kills and a hitting percentage of .399. A Preseason All-Southland Conference First Team selection, Deardorff was also a force on the defensive end, chipping in with 18 blocks for an average of nearly a block per set for the week.
Conference Leaders
As a team, Texas State leads the Southland Conference in kills (13.14/set) and hitting percentage (.254) while ranking in the top half of the league in every statistical category. The Bobcats are second in assists (12.09/set) and blocks (2.09/set), fourth in aces (1.40/set) and sixth in digs (14.79/set).
Second Set Success
The second set has been a good indication of how the match will turn out for the Bobcats so far this season. When the team has won the second set, the Bobcats are 6-1 overall as opposed to having an 0-4 mark when dropping the second set.
Balanced Offense
While Texas State leads the Southland Conference in kills, the Bobcats do not have a player averaging more than 3.0 kills per set or ranking in the top-10 in the SLC in the category. Texas State setters have spread the ball around to nine different hitters who have contributed kills this season. The team is led by sophomore right side hitter Amari Deardorff, who is averaging 2.77 kills per set, while sophomore outside hitter Melissa Toth (2.75 kills/set), senior middle blocker Amber Calhoun (2.41 kills/set) and senior outside hitter Lindy DeGeare (2.36 kills/set) are all averaging better than two kills per set. Sophomore middle blockers Rachel James (1.88 kills/set) and Ashlee Hilbun (1.81 kills/set) along with freshmen outside hitters Casey Heising (1.73 kills/set) and Alexandra Simms (1.58 kills/set) are averaging more than a kill-and-a-half per set.
