SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team toppled Arkansas State 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-16) Friday night inside Strahan Coliseum.
 
The loss snapped the Red Wolves' 23-match win streak against Sun Belt opponents. A-State (12-7, 4-1 SBC) went undefeated in league play last season and had not lost a conference match since 2014. The Bobcats (11-9, 4-1 SBC) used the victory to ascend into a three-way tie for first place in the SBC West Division.
 
Freshman Megan Porter paced the winning effort with a season-high 18 kills, while senior Kelsey Weynand was right behind with 17. She also added eight digs. Junior Erin Hoppe registered 44 assists and 12 digs, while freshman Micah Dinwiddie had a match-high 22 digs. Fellow freshman Mattie Adams also contributed 10 digs.
 
The two teams traded jabs in the early going, with neither side able to reach more than a three-point edge until a Kelsey Reis kill gave A-State a 12-8 lead. Texas State fought back and earned an 18-15 advantage after rattling off 7 of 8 points on Dinwiddie's serve. The visitors tied the opening set 21-21, but two kills by Bolden and two attack errors from the Red Wolves handed the first set to the maroon and gold.
 
The second set was tight all the way through, with neither squad wanting to budge an inch. The score was tied five times, including at 24-24 following a TXST error on set point. Porter blasted a kill from Hoppe on the next point, and the Bobcats pulled ahead 2-0 on an attack error from Reis.
 
Arkansas State pounced early in the third set and pushed ahead 12-6. They never trailed in the third, but the Bobcats did not go down easy. They battled all the way back to a 23-22 deficit but ran out of steam in the final two points.
 
The third set triumph proved to be the last gasp for the Red Wolves, as Texas State went on to break a 12-12 tie in the fourth set by winning 13 of the last 17 points. The winning push began on the serve of Adams, who scored nine straight points to put the match out of reach.
 
Mallory Warrington finished with 50 assists and 16 digs for the visitors. Kenzie Fields added 14 kills and 12 digs, while Carlisa May led A-State with 16 kills. Markie Schaedig (20) and Jessica Heuertz (11) both reached double-digit digs.
 
The Bobcats outhit Arkansas State .233-.140. The hitting percentage for the Red Wolves was their worst since hitting .126 against UL Lafayette on Nov. 2, 2014. TXST also led in blocks (11-5) and service aces (3-1).
 
Texas State is now set to close out a four-match homestand against Little Rock. The Bobcats are set to entertain the Trojans at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 inside Strahan Coliseum.
 
TEXAS STATE COACH KAREN CHISUM
On taking down Arkansas State…
"We had a great scouting report, and the team did exactly what we had planned. We did not vary from our scouting report for more than four points tonight. I'm so proud of this group. We stayed confident and we stuck with it. The team was coachable tonight. It was so much fun. That's a big win. Arkansas State had an undefeated season last year and won the conference. They entered tonight 4-0 in conference play. The streak has been broken."
 
On the team getting 11 blocks…
"Morgan (Lewis), Lauren (Kirch) and Jaliyah (Bolden) did a great job at the net all night. We did focus on blocking all week. We had a game plan and the team stuck with it."
 
On the importance of earning a win over the defending champions…
"For confidence, it's huge for us. After the match I asked them, 'now do you believe you can win the conference?', and they said yes. This was a confidence builder."
 
On the home atmosphere...
"The crowd is always great here. I love playing in Strahan Coliseum. (The home fans) are always good for a couple of points."
 
-TxStateBobcats.com-