Volleyball | 10/27/2016 9:12:00 AM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team will play its final two matches inside Strahan Coliseum this weekend when the Bobcats welcome UL Lafayette and UL Monroe. The contest against the Ragin' Cajuns will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28, while the match against the Warhawks will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29.

The ULM contest will also serve as Senior Day for TXST. The maroon and gold will honor its seven seniors (Ali Hubicsak, Lauren Kirch, Morgan Lewis, Emily Shelton, Alex Silver, Shelby Vas Matt, Kelsey Weynand) prior to the contest.

Match 1 Info: UL Lafayette (8-16, 4-5 SBC) at Texas State (16-9, 9-1 SBC)
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Friday, October 28 – 6:30 pm
The Series: Texas State leads 11-0
Last Meeting: TXST def. ULL 3-0 (11/7/15)

Match 2 Info: UL Monroe (8-19, 2-7 SBC) at Texas State (16-9, 9-1 SBC)
Site: Strahan Coliseum – San Marcos, Texas
Date: Saturday, October 29 – 6:30 pm
The Series: Texas State leads 38-2
Last Meeting: TXST def. ULM 3-0 (11/5/15)
Special Promotion: Senior Day

THE LAST TIME OUT
The Bobcats secured a close 3-1 victory over UT Arlington Tuesday night inside Strahan Coliseum. All four sets were decided by 25-23 margins. TXST continued to ride its hot streak and has now won seven consecutive matches, while the Mavericks have dropped four of their last five outings. The Bobcats 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 three 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 34 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). 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).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
With the Sun Belt Conference ballooning to 12 teams, the league has moved to a two-division format for the 2016 season. The Bobcats are members of the West Division, along with Arkansas State, UT Arlington, Little Rock, UL Lafayette and UL Monroe. The league will crown two division champions at the end of the regular season, and those two sides will claim the top two seeds in the Sun Belt Conference Championship, which will be held Nov. 18-20 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
 
Coastal Carolina (8-1) leads the way in the East Division, while A-State (10-1) is atop the West Division with three weeks remaining in the regular season schedule. TXST (9-1) sits a half game behind the Red Wolves in the West and are four games ahead of UT Arlington (5-5). The top four finishers from both divisions will qualify for the postseason tournament.
 
JUNIOR, FRESHMAN CAPTURE SBC WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Junior Erin Hoppe was honored as the SBC Setter of the Week, while libero Micah Dinwiddie was tabbed the SBC Freshman of the Week, the Sun Belt Conference announced on Oct. 24. Hoppe registered 84 total assists to lead the Bobcats to road triumphs over Georgia State and Georgia Southern. In eight sets played, she distributed 10.50 assists per set, which included 13 per set in a sweep over the Eagles. She compiled 45 assists, six digs and one kill against the Panthers before tallying 39 assists, five digs and two kills against GS. Dinwiddie led the defense in the two victories. She totaled 43 digs overall (5.38 digs per set), which included 23 at 7.67 digs per set in the Bobcats' sweep over Georgia Southern. She continues to lead all Sun Belt freshmen in digs during league play and is second overall in the conference in that category this season. This is the third straight week that Texas State volleyball has won at least two player of the week honors. TXST has also brought home each of the last three freshman of the week accolades.
 
DINWIDDIE MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST 2 WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Micah Dinwiddie was honored as both the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week on Oct. 17. The true freshman from Lewisville, Texas, earned the first two weekly accolades of her young career after a dominant performance in Texas State's 3-1 win at UT Arlington Oct. 13. She registered a career-high 31 digs against the Mavericks, which was the highest total of digs in a four-set match by a Bobcat since Kacey Wimpy tallied 32 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 9, 2007. The 31 digs were also the highest four-set total registered by a Sun Belt Conference player this season. Dinwiddie averaged 7.75 digs per set, while also adding three assists and one service ace. This was the first time since the conference went to a four-award weekly system that a freshman was honored as the SBC defensive player of the week.