Box Score

ATLANTA – Texas State bounced back from a tough loss to Western Kentucky with an impressive victory over Georgia State Sunday with a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-8, 25-14). Freshman Shelby Vas Matt led the Bobcats in the win with a double-double, hitting for 11 kills on a strong .500 hitting percentage and finishing with a match high 13 digs.
 
Caylin Mahoney played an outstanding match with seven kills on nine attacks for a .778 hitting percentage, 30 assists, three digs, two aces and two blocks. She kept the pressure on Georgia State to defend everything, and the challenge was too much for the Panthers.
 
The Bobcats finished the match hitting .364 while holding Georgia State to a mere -.021 hitting percentage. Texas State finished with six blocks, led by three block assists each from Ashlee Hilbun and Molly Ahrens.
 
Texas State started strong with a 25-16 win in the first set, led by Vas Matt. She put down seven kills in the opening frame while no other Bobcat had more than three. She also led the team in digs with five while three others had three each.
 
The Texas State defense stymied Georgia State's offense for just a .088 hitting percentage, but, behind the work of Vas Matt, the Bobcats hit .405 in the first set. Vas Matt hit .636 while Mahoney struck for three kills on just four attacks for a .750 percentage.
 
Texas State kept the momentum going to start the second set, scoring the first six points of the set for an early 6-0 lead. Mahoney tallied two aces in the start. After Georgia State broke the run, the Bobcats continued to pile on, working to a 10-2 lead before the Panthers called a timeout.
 
Mahoney was on fire in the second set. After three kills in the opening frame, she followed up her two aces to start the second set with two more kills as the Bobcats built up to a 19-8 lead. From there, Kelsey Weynand served out the rest of the second set. She served up two aces in the run while Ahrens and Amari Deardorff each put down a kill. Two Georgia State errors completed the run for a 25-8 second set win.
 
The Bobcats continued to start sets strong in the third set. Texas State jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Georgia State could counter. After the Panther point, Texas State added two more for a 6-1 start in the third set.
 
Georgia State tried to close the gap after Texas State built a 13-4 lead, fighting back to close the gap to 15-10. It would not work though as Texas State continued to keep the pressure on, extending the lead to 21-12. Fittingly, Texas State ended the match on a block from Ahrens and Mahoney.
 
Next, Texas State will stay on the road for a midweek match at UT Arlington at 7 p.m. Wednesday. After that, the Bobcats return to Strahan Coliseum to host Arkansas State and UALR.