Volleyball | 11/2/2016 11:47:00 AM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team will be on the road for its final four matches of the regular season, beginning with a pair of tilts in Arkansas this weekend. The Bobcats (18-9, 11-1 SBC) will first meet Little Rock (11-15, 7-6 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 inside Jack Stephens Center before taking on Arkansas State (20-7, 12-1 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Convocation Center.

The contest between the Bobcats and Red Wolves will be broadcast on ESPN3. TXST enters the week riding the longest win streak in the league (nine matches), while A-State is right behind having triumphed in its last eight outings. The defending league champs have not dropped a single set since falling 3-1 to the Bobcats on Oct. 7 in San Marcos. The winner of the match will be in the driver's seat for the SBC West Division Championship entering the final week of play.

Match 1 Info: Texas State (18-9, 11-1 SBC) at Little Rock (11-15, 7-6 SBC)
Site: Jack Stephens Center – Little Rock, Ark.
Date: Friday, November 4 – 6:30 pm
The Series: Texas State leads 4-2
Last Meeting: TXST def. LR 3-0 (10/8/16)

Match 2 Info: Texas State (18-9, 11-1 SBC) at Arkansas State (20-7, 12-1 SBC)
Site: Convocation Center – Jonesboro, Ark.
Date: Saturday, November 5 – 6:30 pm
The Series: Arkansas State leads 7-6
Last Meeting: TXST def. A-State 3-1 (10/7/16)
TV: ESPN3

THE LAST TIME OUT
Texas State volleyball defeated ULM 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22) Saturday night in a Sun Belt Conference match inside Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats were playing their final home match of the season, and they honored their seven seniors (Ali Hubicsak, Lauren Kirch, Morgan Lewis, Emily Shelton, Alex Silver, Shelby Vas Matt, and Kelsey Weynand) prior to the contest as part of the Senior Day festivities. TXST also ran its win streak to nine-straight victories, and the maroon and gold closed out the month of October with a perfect 9-0 mark. All seven seniors comprised the starting lineup in Saturday's triumph. Kirch finished with a match-high 15 kills on just 30 swings for a .367 attack percentage, while Weynand posted 14 kills and nine digs. Shelton distributed a career-high 40 assists and registered her third career double-double after adding 11 digs. Freshman Micah Dinwiddie played just two sets but tallied a match-high 20 digs. No member of the visiting side was able to reach the double-digit kill plateau. Kaitlyn Shearer got closest with nine, while Tara Jenkins tallied 22 assists and 11 digs. Hope Pawlik contributed 20 digs and Albany Schaffer added 11. The Bobcats led the way in hitting percentage (.195-.040), total kills (56-33), aces (6-4) and assists (53-26). The maroon and gold also improved to 39-2 all-time against the Warhawks, who dropped to 8-21 overall and 2-9 in SBC play.
 
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 (10-1) leads the way in the East Division, while A-State (12-1) is atop the West Division with two weeks remaining in the regular season schedule. TXST (11-1) sits a half game behind the Red Wolves in the West and are four games ahead of UT Arlington (7-5). The top four finishers from both divisions will qualify for the postseason tournament. Texas State has already locked up one of the top three seeds in the championship and will be fighting for playoff seeding in its final four matches.
 
DINWIDDIE WINS 3RD-STRAIGHT FRESHMAN HONOR, 2ND DEFENSIVE DISTINCTION
Micah Dinwiddie was selected as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week on Oct. 31. This marked the third-straight rookie laurel for the Lewisville, Texas, native, and also marked the second time in three weeks she has been bestowed top defensive honors. She finished with 81 digs at 7.36 digs per set in Texas State's three wins last week, while also adding six assists and four aces. She got her week started with a career-high 35 digs against UT Arlington, which was just two shy of the school record. The total was the highest in four sets by any SBC player this season, besting her own previous mark by four digs. After posting 26 digs against Louisiana, she played just two sets against ULM but still managed to lead both teams with 20 digs. Texas State was celebrating Senior Day and Alex Silver served as libero for the opening two sets before Dinwiddie took back the position. Overall, Texas State has already captured 10 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 fourth 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 four freshman of the week accolades.
 
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.
 
TEXAS STATE HANDS DEFENDING CHAMPS FIRST SETBACK SINCE 2014
The Bobcats toppled Arkansas State 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-16) on Oct. 7 inside Strahan Coliseum. The loss snapped the Red Wolves' 23-match win streak against Sun Belt opponents. A-State went undefeated in league play last season and had not lost a conference match since 2014. Megan Porter paced the winning effort with a season-high 18 kills, while Kelsey Weynand was right behind with 17. She also added eight digs. 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 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).