Syracuse: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)   Utah State: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)

San Marcos, Texas – After a promising start to the Utah State Invitational with a 3-0 win against Idaho State on Friday, the Texas State volleyball team could not duplicate the same success on Saturday as the team dropped two matches on the final day of the three-day tournament. Texas State began the day with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 29-27) defeat against Syracuse before dropping a five-setter, 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10), against host Utah State in the last match of the day.

Junior setter Caleigh McCorquodale earned USU Invitational All-Tournament Team honors after posting 113 assists for an average of more than 10 helpers her set. She also added 28 digs and two double-doubles during the three-match tournament, while helping run the Texas State offense that hit .243 collectively for the tournament.

The Bobcats evened their record at 3-3 for the season after going 1-2 over the weekend. With their respective wins, Syracuse improved to 5-1 and Utah State improved to 3-3.

Syracuse – 3, Texas State – 0

Texas State could not get out of its own way in the team's first game on Saturday afternoon as the team missed 12 serves, allowed seven aces and had five net violations in the team's three set loss to Syracuse. The Bobcats never truly got on track as the team hit .143 collectively after posting a hitting percentage above .500 in the team's previous match against Idaho State.

The Bobcats led early in the match against the Orange, pulling ahead 8-6 after a serving error on Syracuse. But the Orange went on an 8-3 run to take a three-point advantage before closing out the first set on a six-point run to secure the set.

Texas State came out strong again in the second set, grabbing a 6-3 lead early in the stanza. Texas State would extend its lead to five points, 14-9, midway through the set after Amber Calhoun and Melissa Toth combined for a block. However, Syracuse then went on a five-point spurt to tie the set at 14-14. The score remained tied until 18-18 when the Orange went on a 7-3 run to close out the set for a 2-0 lead.

The third set was tight all the way through with neither team taking more than a four-point advantage throughout the period. Syracuse led 24-21 late, but the Bobcats were able to fend off three set points and even the score at 24-24 on a kill from Lindy DeGeare. After a Syracuse point, Calhoun put down a kill to keep the team alive and even the score at 25-25. Following another Orange point, Ashlee Hilbun and Calhoun put down consecutive kills to give the team a match point, but Syracuse came up with a block on the Bobcats' match point and scored twice after that for a 29-27 third set win.

DeGeare, who made her first start of the season for the Bobcats, led the team with 11 kills and a .269 hitting percentage. She added six digs and an assist in her second career game for Texas State. Calhoun finished with 10 kills for her fourth double-digit kills match to begin the 2011 season.

McCorquodale had her second double-double of the season, finishing with 32 assists and 11 digs.

Freshman libero Laura Whalen made it five consecutive matches to begin Bobcat career with double-digit digs, finishing with a team-high 13 saves while adding five assists.

Utah State – 3, Texas State – 2

Texas State came out strong in the first set and hit .414 as a team while running away with a 25-16 first set victory. The Bobcats led from the opening point and used the strong play of Rachel Doyle, Amber Calhoun and Caleigh McCorquodale to propel the team to the win. Doyle sparked the Bobcats with strong serving that included a pair of aces along with three digs, while Calhoun put down five kills in the opening stanza along with a .714 hitting percentage to lead the team. McCorquodale dished out 14 assists as the team went on a 4-0 run to close out the opening set.

But the home team rallied in the second and third sets to take a 2-1 advantage in the match and put the Bobcats in a must-win fourth set. Texas State responded in the fourth set as the team fought to a 25-20 victory behind the strong play on the outside of Lindy DeGeare and Melissa Toth, forcing a deciding game five.

The Bobcats and Aggies played even through the first half of the fifth stanza with the home team leading 8-7 midway through the set. However, the Aggies would go on a 7-3 run to close out the set and earn its third win of 2011.

Toth led the Bobcats with a season-high 19 kills along with a .351 hitting percentage, while DeGeare also made a huge impact in her second start of the season with 14 kills and four aces. Calhoun also finished with double-digit kills for the fifth time in sixth matches this season, totaling 11 kills for the Bobcats.

McCorquodale posted her second double-double of the day as she finished with 46 assists and a team-high 13 digs for the Bobcats.