SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State jumped back into the win column with an impressive victory over Georgia State Friday night, beating the Panthers, 3-1 (29-27, 21-25, 25-13, 25-22) behind the work of freshman Jordan Kohl.
 
Kohl matched her career high in kills with 18 and, with just two errors and 26 attempts, set a new career high in hitting percentage, finishing with a .615. While she paced Texas State in kills, she certainly wasn't the only contributor for the Bobcats.
 
Alexandra Simms added 13 kills while Lauren Kirch put down 10 kills on a .316 hitting percentage. In addition, Brooke Smith came up with some pivotal kills to finish with five errorless kills on just eight attempts for a .625 hitting percentage to help the Bobcats finish hitting .285 as a team.
 
Smith also led the squad in blocks, putting down five on the night to help Texas State finish with 11, six more than Georgia State's five. Kirch added four blocks, one of which was solo, while Kelsey Weynand and Kohl both had three blocks each.
 
Sierra Smith and Brenna Lyles both led Texas State in digs with 12 apiece while Simms added eight more. Smith's passing was on point throughout much of the match, able to get the ball to the setters with multiple diving passes.
 
Caylin Mahoney and Ali Gonzales teamed up to run the offense, combining for 48 assists. Mahoney added five digs, three kills, two blocks and two aces while Gonzales managed three digs and an ace. Simms added two more aces for five Texas State aces on the night.
 
The Bobcats rode momentum throughout the match. The first set was back and forth for both teams, but Georgia State went ahead 23-18 late. Texas State responded with a 5-0 run, sparked by consecutive kills from Kohl. Kirch and Weynand put down a block after that, then Kohl followed with another kills. After an error from Georgia State, the Bobcats had tied it up, 23-23.
 
The teams continued their back and forth from there until the Bobcats scored three consecutive points with kills from Simms and Kohl and a GSU error to finish the first frame on top, 29-27.
 
Georgia State was able to snag momentum in the second set, coming out with a 14-5 lead. It proved to be too much for Texas State to overcome as the Panthers tied the match, 1-1. After the intermission, though, Texas State dominated the third frame.
 
Down 10-9, the Bobcats put together an unbelievable run behind the service of Gonzales. Mahoney scored with a setter dump kill to tie it, 10-10, then Gonzales served 10 consecutive points to put the Bobcats up 20-10.
 
Texas State put down three blocks in the run with kills from Simms, Kohl and Brooke Smith. Smith made her presence known in the third set, striking for three kills and making three blocks. After Georgia State finally stopped the run for one point to make it 20-11, Smith answered with a kill followed by one from Kohl. After a GSU error, Smith struck for another kill to put the Bobcats up 24-11. It wasn't long before the Bobcats claimed a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
For the frame, Texas State hit 14 kills with just two errors on 27 attempts for a .444 hitting percentage. The Bobcats would go on to hit .286 with 14 kills in the fourth set and finishing on a 4-0 run to win the match.
 
Texas State will continue its home stand with a 6:30 p.m. match against Troy on Saturday for the team's final regular season home match of the year. It will be Texas State's senior night in which the Bobcats will honor Mahoney, Simms, Gonzales and Brittney Garcia.



 

.@TexasStateVball defeats Georgia State in four sets (29-27, 21-25, 25-13, 25-22). #TXST — Star Sports (@UStar_Sports) November 15, 2014	My new @TexasStateVball swag ?? pic.twitter.com/kNSpbWGOm9 — Nick Gravois (@Le_gravois) November 15, 2014
Come out and support @TexasStateVball at the annual Dig Pink game vs Georgia State! Check out the auction and get your #Boobcat bracelets! — The Loud Crowd (@TXSTLoudCrowd) November 14, 2014	Good luck tonight @TexasStateVball #TXST #EatEmUpCats — Fastbreak Club (@fastbreak_club) November 14, 2014