Volleyball | 11/15/2016 12:57:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team is set to travel up Interstate 35 for the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship, which will be contested Nov. 18-20 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

UT Arlington will serve as hosts for the annual event. The Bobcats (20-11, 13-3 SBC) have drawn No. 6 seed South Alabama (16-13, 7-9 SBC) in the first round, which will kickoff the championship at noon Nov. 18. The winner will advance to the semifinals at 4 p.m. Nov. 19 against either No. 2 Coastal Carolina or No. 7 Georgia Southern. The championship match is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 20. All SBC Championship matches will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

General admission tickets are available for $10, while VIP floor seating can be purchased for $20. Tickets for children ages 12 and under are $5, and Sun Belt Conference students gain free entrance with a valid student ID.

TXST has now qualified for the postseason all four years since joining the Sun Belt. The Bobcats will now have served as the tournament's No. 3 seed in three of those four tournaments (2013, 2015-16). The maroon and gold was the No. 2 seed in 2014. Texas State has a 6-2 record in the conference championship, and advanced to the semifinals last year. The squad won the tournament in 2013 and finished runners-up in 2014.

This will be the second-straight season that TXST will face USA in the opening round. The Bobcats ended the Jaguars' 2015 season with a 3-1 defeat. Texas State also took down South Alabama 3-2 earlier this season (Sept. 25) in Mobile, Alabama, and the maroon and gold owns a 6-2 all-time record over USA.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
Texas State defeated Louisiana 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-20) Saturday night inside Earl K. Long Gym in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Bobcats (20-11, 13-3 SBC) reached the 20-win plateau for the 23rd time in the Karen Chisum era, while the Ragin' Cajuns (10-21, 6-10 SBC) saw their season come to a close. Senior Shelby Vas Matt registered the 32nd double-double of her career after finishing with 14 digs and 12 kills. Junior Jaliyah Bolden led both teams with 13 kills, and junior Erin Hoppe commanded the offense with 31 assists. Freshman Micah Dinwiddie led the defense with 16 digs. Nia Antoine led Louisiana with seven kills. Jessica Bartczyszyn had 23 assists, and Sydney Davis posted 14 digs. Texas State improved to 13-0 all-time against Louisiana. The maroon and gold led Saturday's match in all major categories, including kills (46-25), hitting percentage (.200-.071), assists (44-24), digs (53-50), blocks (7-6), and service aces (3-0).
 
FRESHMAN MAINTAINS STRANGLEHOLD ON WEEKLY LAUREL
Micah Dinwiddie was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week for the fourth week in a row, the league announced Nov. 8. The Lewisville, Texas, native, tallied 37 digs over the week at 5.29 digs per set. She got her weekend started with a 24-dig performance at 6.00 digs per set against Little Rock. She then registered 13 digs against Arkansas State at 4.33 digs per set. She also added four assists and one ace as the Bobcats clinched the No. 3 seed in the SBC Championship. Overall, Texas State has already captured 11 SBC weekly awards this season. The Bobcats entered 2016 with nine total weekly awards in their first three years in the league (2013-15). This is the also the fifth-straight week that Texas State volleyball has won a player of the week honor. TXST has collected each of the last five freshman of the week accolades. Award winners include: Senior Kelsey Weynand (Offensive, Oct. 10), senior Lauren Kirch (Defensive, Sept. 5), junior Erin Hoppe (Setter, Oct. 10 & Oct. 24), freshman Megan Porter (Freshman, Oct. 10) and Dinwiddie (Defensive, Oct. 17 & Oct. 31 / Freshman, Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Oct. 31, Nov. 7).
 
TEXAS STATE MAKES CHARITABLE DONATION TO PINK HEALS HAYS COUNTY
The Texas State volleyball team recently held a fundraising event for Pink Heals Hays County in an effort to help raise money for the organization. In conjunction with their Sept. 30 home match against Coastal Carolina, the Bobcats took donations and held a silent auction as part of their annual Pink Out contest to help promote cancer awareness. In total, Texas State volleyball raised $7,788 for the local organization. The Bobcats presented Pink Heals with the donation during the Oct. 25 match against UT Arlington. "We are so honored and grateful to be able to give Pink Heals almost $7,800 this year," TXST associate head coach Tracy Smith said. "Our fans and supporters stepped up in a big way Sept. 30 with their donations. Pink Heals helps women in Hays County with cancer, and we know the proceeds go directly to those in need in our community. We want to thank Chris and Kathleen Chomel for working with us every year to make the event possible. We would also like to thank all the Pink Heals volunteers for all they do." The mission of Pink Heals Hays County, as found on their website, is "Inspiring our communities to come together for the love of their people and not one specific disease or cause. By putting our women and their family first we all have to come to the table in support! Then guarantee that all the money raised from our initiative stays local. We focus on our tax based groups first because without the support of our community (their taxes and votes) we wouldn't have our jobs!!!!" Pink Heals Hays County is a chapter of the National Pink Heals Tour and has donated more than $107,000 since 2012 to assist families in their battle against cancer. For more information, visit www.pinkhealshayscounty.org.