WICHITA, Kansas – Texas State split the first day of the Shocker Volleyball Invitational with a 3-1 win over South Dakota State (22-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-12) and a 3-1 loss to the Huskies of Northern Illinois (25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-13). For the season, the Bobcats stand at 4-6 and will face the host school, Wichita State, at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
In the first match of the day, the Bobcats lost a close opening set, 25-22, only hitting .125 with 11 errors to 17 kills on 48 attempts. After that, however, the Bobcats put on a simply dominating performance. Texas State hit .342 in the second set, .429 in the third and .458 in the fourth set with four, three and just one error respectively. Over the final three sets, the Bobcats put down 44 kills to just eight errors.
 
Junior middle blocker Morgan Lewis stepped up in a big way with 15 kills and just three errors for a .400 hitting percentage to lead the team. Shelby Vas Matt and Jordan Kohl combined for 21 kills with the edge to Vas Matt with 11. Vas Matt hit .400 and, with Lewis, was the second of five .400 hitters in the match for Texas State.
 
Libero Sierra Smith continues to sweep the floor for the Bobcats with a match-high 15 digs. Ali Hubicsak added 10 digs while setter Erin Hoppe and Vas Matt combined for 15 digs. In addition to Lewis's strong offensive outing, she also led Texas State in blocks with five. Kohl was in on four, and the Bobcats put down seven blocks in the match.
 
It took Texas State a bit to get started, but once the Bobcats hit their stride, they showed the Jackrabbits that they had no chance in the race to three sets. Against Northern Illinois, however, the Bobcats were outpaced.
 
Kohl led the offensive attack with 16 kills and five errors for a solid hitting percentage of .306. Vas Matt and Claire Kreuz tallied nine kills apiece to round out the offense. Emily Shelton saw time, finishing the match with 26 assists while Hoppe added 11. She had 46 in the opening match of the day.
 
Smith notched 11 digs to lead the team while Vas Matt added nine. Hubicsak contributed seven digs to help Texas State to 52 in the match. Northern Illinois finished the match with 71 digs. The Bobcats did put down eight blocks with five from Lewis and four from Kohl, but the Huskies tallied 14 blocks in the match to outlast the Bobcats.
 
Northern Illinois survived Texas State in the first set, 25-23, before the Bobcats came storming back in the second frame to win by the same score. The Huskies finished strong, though, with a 25-20 victory in the third set for a 2-1 lead and clinched the match with a 25-13 performance.
 
Texas State will look to upset the host, Wichita State at 1 p.m. Saturday before returning to Texas to face Sam Houston State on the road at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night.