SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team secured a close 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23) victory over UT Arlington in a Sun Belt Conference battle Tuesday night in Strahan Coliseum.
 
The Bobcats (16-9, 9-1 SBC) continued to ride their hot streak and have now won seven consecutive matches, while the Mavericks (11-14, 5-5 SBC) have dropped four of their last five outings. TXST earned the season sweep over UTA and has now won 12 of the last 14 meetings in the series.
 
Texas State was paced offensively by junior Jaliyah Bolden, who led all players with 16 kills. Senior Lauren Kirch blasted 13 kills on a .353 attack percentage, and fellow senior Morgan Lewis added 10 to the winning cause. Senior Kelsey Weynand notched a season-best 16 digs to go along with nine kills of her own, while fellow senior Ali Hubicsak hit the 10-dig plateau.
 
Junior Erin Hoppe picked up her fifth double-double of the campaign after distributing 54 assists and tallying 12 digs. Her assist total tied for the most in four sets by an SBC player this season. She previously reached that mark against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 9.
 
Freshman Micah Dinwiddie posted a career-high 35 digs, which was just two off the school record and the most by a Bobcat since Sierra Smith recorded 37 in five sets against UT Arlington on Oct. 9, 2013. Dinwiddie's 35 digs were also the highest four-set total by an SBC player this season. The previous high of 31 was held by Dinwiddie, which was a mark she set against the Mavericks in their earlier meeting this year (Oct. 13).
 
All four sets were neck-and-neck until crunch time, beginning with the opening nailbiter. The Bobcats initially built a 17-14 lead, but UTA rattled off nine of the next 11 points to move ahead and take a commanding 23-19 advantage. The home side used the friendly crowd and clutch serving from Hubicsak, however, to win the final six points and steal the first set 25-23.
 
UT Arlington jumped on top 5-1 in the second and stayed ahead all the way until Texas State was able to battle back to an 18-18 draw. The maroon and gold took a 21-20 lead, but the visitors won a trio of points to again move to the brink of a set triumph. The Bobcats once more were able to snatch away another 25-23 decision after collecting the final four points, this time on Hoppe's serve.
 
The third set saw a role reversal as it was the Mavericks who were able to turn a 23-19 deficit into a 25-23 victory, but Texas State scored six of the final seven points – including the last four – to capture the fourth set and claim the overall match victory.
 
Kylie Jedlicka had 15 kills for the Mavericks, while Zhanelle Geathers added 12 on a .588 hitting percentage. Four different members of the visiting squad registered double-digit digs, led by 21 from Libbie Vickers. Both Qiana Canete and Taylor Murata tallied 15, and Cassidy Wheeler finished with 38 assists and 16 digs.
 
TXST led in kills (62-53), hitting percentage (.213-.189) and aces (9-4), while UT Arlington held the advantage in blocks (10-5).
 
Texas State will remain home for its next outing, as the maroon and gold will play host to UL Lafayette at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28.
 
TEXAS STATE COACH KAREN CHISUM
Opening statement…
"We wanted to get it to the middle fast. We wanted to run a fast offense and we did. (UT Arlington) eventually started to double up on us and we didn't do a good job of adjusting to that. But fortunately the fourth set we came back and served a little tougher. That was big for us. We just got some key kills when we needed them. The first two sets we were behind then we came back to win. The third set we were ahead and we lost it. I was proud of the players and the staff for coming back and for staying cool, calm and collected."
 
On Morgan Lewis…
"She did well for her, I'm going to give hats off to Erin Hoppe, who did a good job distributing the ball to Morgan. When we pass well we can do that, but it wasn't our best passing match. I didn't think we served very tough, but UTA passed well until the crucial points. All three games that we won had at least one ace late."
 
On Jaliyah Bolden…
"When we moved her to the right side that allowed for us to get Morgan Lewis and Lauren Kirch in the game. All three of them are trained middle blockers and we need all three on the court. Jaliyah likes to run it fast and that's why she is a middle blocker. That's why we can run a faster offense with her on the right side. Winning this one was huge. Now we have to breathe a little bit before getting ready for these last two home matches."
 
On the final two home matches against the Louisiana schools this upcoming weekend…
"Our team will be prepared, but we haven't even looked at (UL) Lafayette or (UL) Monroe. We haven't played them this season. Yes, their win-loss record is not as good, but we don't pay attention to that at this point of the year. Once you get on the court, it's anybody's ball game."
 
-TxStateBobcats.com-