Volleyball | 10/6/2014 3:24:00 PM

SAN MARCOS – Texas State is coming off the team's best performance of the season in a sweep of UL Lafayette Saturday. To start the week, the Bobcats will look to stay unbeaten and match the team's best conference start since 2003, a 7-0 start to the conference season, with a road match against UT Arlington on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
 
Match Info: Texas State (11-7, 6-0 SBC) vs. UT Arlington (13-5, 3-3 SBC)
Site: College Park Center – Arlington, Texas
Date: Wednesday, October 8 – 6:30 p.m.
 
The Series
The Bobcats are behind in the all-time series against UT Arlington, 31-40, but have won the last three meetings between the teams, including the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship, a 3-0 Texas State sweep, as well as the last meeting this season.
 
Texas State went to five sets with the Mavericks, including extra points in the fifth and final set back on September 16. Texas State trailed, 2-1, in the match before winning the fourth set, 25-14, and outlasting UTA in the fifth set, 19-17, at Strahan Coliseum.
 
Kelsey Weynand went for a career high 17 kills in the last meeting while freshmen Jordan Kohl and Lauren Kirch combined for 29 kills. Shelby Vas Matt added 12 more. Sierra Smith, who set the Texas State record for most digs in a match with 37 against UTA last season, tallied 31 against the Mavs this year. Vas Matt finished with 15 digs for one of her conference-leading 13 double-doubles.
 
Weynand and Ali Gonzales added a combined 23 digs. Gonzales doubled up with 28 assists while Jordan Moore gave out 32. Kirch led the team in blocks with four block assists.
 
On the Mavericks
The Mavericks came into Strahan Coliseum on September 19 with just two losses on the year. After the Bobcats took UTA down, the Mavericks won three consecutive matches, beating Troy, UL Lafayette and UL Monroe all in Arlington. The last two road matches against UALR and Arkansas State were both losses for UT Arlington.
 
At home, the Mavs are 8-2 this season and haven't lost a home match since a 3-1 loss to Baylor on September 9.
 
Freshman Qiana Canete leads her team in kills with 208. The nearest Mavericks is Taylor Gross with 148 kills on the season. Canete tallied 14 kills against the Bobcats in the last meeting while Hannah Baptiste (135 kills for the year) had 13. Caitlyn Cooney leads the team with 342 digs while Canete has 267 for the year, an average of 3.99 per set. Briana Sharratt has 83 blocks on the year while Ashley Bennett has 76.
 
Four Mavericks have double-digit aces, led by Taylor Story with 12. The team has 60 for the year, two more than opponents. UT Arlington, like Texas State also runs a 6-2 rotation with two setters. Amanda Welsh and Cassidy Wheeler have combined for 708 assists.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State is one of just two teams in the Sun Belt Conference that are undefeated in conference play, along with UALR, also at 6-0. Both teams were pegged to finish first and second in the SBC Coaches' Preseason Poll.
 
Throughout the conference season so far, the Bobcats lead the Sun Belt in assists, kills and digs while sitting second in opponent hitting percentage and aces.
 
Shelby Vas Matt continues to lead the Bobcats in kills with 210 thanks to an outstanding start to the season, but Texas State is spreading the ball around to its hitters. Seven different Bobcats have three or more matches with double-digit kills.

Setters Ali Gonzales and Jordan Moore are the big reasons why, averaging a combined 13.91 assists per set with a total of 860 assists between the two.
 
The Bobcats are also picking up points in service with 101 aces on the year led by Sierra Smith with 22. Texas State opponents only have 63 aces on the season. Five Bobcats have double-digit aces this season.
 
Five Bobcats also have 100 digs or more led by Smith at the libero position with 341. Vas Matt has 224 while Kelsey Weynand, Jordan Moore and Ali Gonzales have combined for 392 digs this year.
 
A Look Ahead
After playing just one match last week, the Bobcats will get back into it with three matches this week. Over the weekend, Texas State will host Appalachian State at 6 p.m. Friday and UL Monroe at 12 p.m. Sunday. Then the Bobcats will take to the road to face Georgia State for the first time this season before returning home to host Arkansas State.