DALLAS, Texas – Texas State fell to No. 17 Arizona and SMU on Saturday, but not without showing sparks of improvement. The Bobcats played a strong second set against Arizona and pushed SMU to the edge in the third set of the match. Texas State fell, 3-0 (25-5, 25-22, 25-13) to Arizona and 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-23) to SMU in Moody Coliseum.
 
Texas State started strong against SMU in the nightcap Saturday. For the first point of the match, Erin Hoppe served up an ace for the Bobcats. After an SMU error, Jaliyah Bolden put the Bobcats up, 3-0, in the opening set with a solo block. It was one of many plays Bolden made on the weekend to achieve All-Tournament honors.
 
The Bobcats built a 4-1 lead to start, but SMU tied the set at 5-5 and pulled ahead, 8-7. Unfortunately, the Mustangs took off to take win the first set, 25-10.
 
In the second set, the Bobcats improved their kill count and percentage jumping from five kills to 11. Bolden and Jordan Kohl led the squad with three kills in the set while Morgan Lewis and Haley Henderson each added two. The Mustangs, however, were able to keep the advantage behind four kills from Brittany Adams and 13 assists from Avery Acker to go up 2-0 with a 25-15 win in the second set.
 
Texas State rallied in the third set to give SMU quite a scare. Shelby Vas Matt provided a spark in the final set, putting down three errorless kills for a .300 hitting percentage. Kohl tallied four kills in the set while Bolden added three more. The Bobcats tallied three blocks in the set, but SMU survived it late, 25-23.
Both Kohl and Bolden led the Bobcats with eight kills apiece in the match while Hoppe and Emily Shelton split the setting duties. They combined for 23 assists with Shelton giving out 12.
 
Sierra Smith came into the match in relief but definitely proved she belongs on the court. She led Texas State in digs with 11 and gave out an assists as well.
 
Kelsey Weynand led the Bobcats offensively against Arizona with 10 kills to be the only Bobcat with double-digit kills in the match. She almost tallied a double-double, finishing with nine digs. Weynand received support from Bolden and Lewis who combined for nine kills. Both student-athletes only had one error in the match.
 
Meanwhile, setters Hoppe and Shelton combined for 22 assists with Hoppe finishing with 12. Shelton added four digs while Alex Silver joined Weynand for the team lead with nine. Lewis was in on three of the team's five blocks in the match while Bolden finished with one solo block and an assist.
 
The country's 17^th-ranked team, Arizona, came out strong in the first set to win 25-5, but the Bobcats were able to bounce back a bit in the second set. Weynand hit for six kills in the frame with just one error for a .417 hitting percentage. The Bobcats only had the one error while putting down 13 kills in the set for a .400 team hitting percentage.
 
Texas State's defense dropped Arizona's hitting percentage from .483 to .333, forcing six errors and outblocking the Wildcats, 4-1, in the second set. Both Lewis and Weynand were in on two blocks while Bolden had a solo and an assist at the net. Meanwhile, Claire Kreuz served up two aces to keep Arizona off balance, but the Wildcats were able to stay on top to win the second set, 25-22.
 
In the third set, Weynand continued to lead the Bobcats with three kills while Bolden matched her output with three of her own. The Bobcats put down 10 kills in the set while Silver and Shelton combined for nine digs. Unfortunately, Arizona had 15 kills to just two errors with 23 digs and five blocks to clinch the match.
 
Texas State will open the team's home slate next with the Delta Zeta Classic this upcoming weekend. The Bobcats will open against I-35 Rival UTSA at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night then host Prairie View A&M and Lamar on Friday at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively before finishing up against Indiana at 4 p.m. Saturday.