Volleyball | 11/26/2014 8:00:00 PM

SAN MARCOS – Texas State is set to defend the team's 2013 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament title starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night. The Bobcat will square off against Georgia State in the first round and, if the team advances, face Arkansas State or UL Lafayette in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday. If the Bobcats can win both matches, Texas State will again play for the conference tournament title at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
Match 1 Info: No. 2 Texas State (20-12, 15-5 SBC) vs. No. 7 Georgia State (10-19, 8-12 SBC)
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Thursday, November 26 – 7:30 p.m.
 
Match 2 Info: No. 2 Texas State (20-12, 15-5 SBC) vs. No. 3 Arkansas State or No. 6 UL Lafayette
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Friday, November 27 – 6:30 p.m.
 
Match 3 Info: Sun Belt Conference Championship
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Saturday, November 28 – 1 p.m.
 
The Series
Texas State is 4-2 all-time against the team's first round opponent Georgia State. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Bobcats prevailed, 3-1, but Georgia State won in four in Atlanta.
 
Jordan Kohl led the Bobcats with 18 kills and just two errors on 26 attempts for a .615 hitting percentage in the last meeting. Alexandra Simms pitched in 13 kills while Lauren Kirch added 10 (.316). Both Sierra Smith and Brenna Lyles added 12 digs apiece to lead the team while Brooke Smith paced the Bobcats at the net with five blocks. Kirch added four while Kelsey Weynand and Kohl combined for six blocks. Caylin Mahoney gave out 26 assists while Ali Gonzales added 22 in a 6-2 rotation.
 
The Bobcats are 55-54 against the tournament field all-time. This season, however, Texas State is 9-5, with season sweeps of Arkansas State, UL Lafayette and South Alabama and splits with Georgia State, UT Arlington and Appalachian State.
 
On the Panthers
Georgia State lost the team's most recent match, a sweep by Appalachian State, but beat Troy before that. However, the Panthers have fallen in three of their last four matches, including a loss to Texas State.
 
Deidra Bohannon leads the team in kills with 427 while Eliza Zachary has 355. Kristina Stinson is the only other Panther in triple-digits in kills. Natalia Nieto has given out 1,019 assists and has 24 service aces. Sydney Mauer leads the team in aces with 34, and Molly Shonk has 28. Gabby Serafin leads the team in digs with 331, but Bohannon isn't far behind with 301. Zachary holds the team lead in blocks with 66. Kitan Ajanaku has 53 for the Panthers.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State started the conference season with six consecutive victories and have put back-to-back victories together four times since then, including a three-match winning streak to end October and begin November. The Bobcats have split their last two matches, but won three of the team's last four and six of the last eight.
 
Lauren Kirch leads the team in kills on the season but Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Jordan Kohl leads the team in kills during conference play. Both of them are offensive forces while Kirch is stellar defensively at the net, leading the squad in blocks. Kohl can throw down blocks as well, as she is third on the team during conference play.
 
Outside of Kirch and Kohl, the Bobcats have a number of outside hitters to choose from and Broke Smith has come on strong at middle blocker lately with 23 kills in the last four matches on an impressive .526 hitting percentage. In that time, she has added 18 blocks for the Bobcats.
 
Caylin Mahoney is running the offense and has 192 assists since returning seven matches ago. Ali Gonzales and Jordan Moore are still seeing time at setter though as the Bobcats do go to a 6-2 rotation on occasion.
 
Sierra Smith continues to lead the team in digs with 479. Shelby Vas Matt has 325 and six others have 100 digs or more. In service, Sierra Smith leads the squad with 30 aces, but Kirch has 29. Five other Bobcats have double-digit aces on the year to give Texas State a 159-104 advantage in service over opponents.
 
A Look Ahead
In the case that the Bobcats beat Georgia State, Texas State will go on to face either Arkansas State or UL Lafayette in the semifinals. A victory in the semifinal match ensures an appearance in the SBC Championship for the opportunity to go on to play in the NCAA Tournament starting next weekend.