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SAN MARCOS – Texas State opens up Sun Belt Conference action against UT Arlington Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in Strahan Coliseum in a rematch of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship match.
 
Match Info: Texas State (5-7) vs. UT Arlington (10-2)
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Tuesday, September 16 – 6:30 p.m.
 
The Series
Texas State and UT Arlington have played a longtime series with the Mavericks holding the advantage, 40-30, however, the Bobcats have won 11 of the last 13 meetings. The last match Texas State won over UT Arlington was in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship match.
 
The Mavericks were able to push the Bobcats to extra points in the first set, but Texas State persevered for a 27-25 victory. In the second and third, the Bobcats took control of the match to finish the sweep. Since-graduated senior Amari Deardorff was outstanding with 17 kills without an error for a .680 hitting percentage while Alexandra Simms added 12 kills. Ashlee Hilbun had 10 and three blocks to lead the way while three Bobcats tallied eight digs each to lead the team in an impressive victory.
 
On the Mavericks
Coming into Tuesday night's match, UT Arlington has won three consecutive matches and eight of the team's last nine matches in an impressive 10-2 start to 2014. The Mavericks have been impressive, sweeping seven of their opponents including three common opponents the Bobcats have faced. Texas State's record against those opponents is 2-1 with one sweep.
 
The Bobcats will have to be aware of freshman Qiana Canete who leads UTA in kills with 133 and 3.17 per set. The most efficient Maverick, however, is Stacey Koch. She is second on the team in kills with 102 and is hitting a .484. The Mavericks are running a 6-2 rotation with Amanda Welsh leading in assists with 251 while Cassidy Wheeler has given out 205. Caitlyn Cooney has 219 digs at 5.21 digs per set to lead the squad while Briana Sharratt leads the team in blocks with 56. The team has 110.5 blocks on the year.
 
On the Bobcats
Texas State struggled through a tough weekend in Lubbock, Texas, but will look to rebound heading into conference action. Shelby Vas Matt currently leads the team in kills with 152 while freshman Lauren Kirch has 135 to be the only other Bobcat with over 100 kills.
 
Vas Matt has double-doubled in all but two matches of the season while Jordan Moore and Kelsey Weynand also have multiple double-doubles. Moore leads the team in assists with 398, but Ali Gonzales has seen an increase in her playing time lately and is up to 183 assists on the season.
 
Libero Sierra Smith continues to lead the team in digs with 208, but Vas Matt isn't far behind with 158. Smith also leads the team in aces with 14 while Kirch has tallied a team-high 32 blocks.
 
Freshman Jordan Kohl and sophomore Brenna Lyles have also seen an uptick in their playing time and have been factors for the Bobcats.
 
A Look Ahead
After UT Arlington, Texas State will hit the road for weekend conference action against Arkansas State and UL Monroe before returning to Strahan Coliseum to host South Alabama on Thursday, Sept. 25.