MOBILE, Ala. – The Texas State volleyball team came from behind to defeat South Alabama 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12) Sunday afternoon at Jag Gym.
 
The Bobcats improved to 9-8 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, while the Jaguars dropped to 9-6 on the year and 0-2 in the league.
 
Three different Texas State players recorded at least 10 kills, led by 13 each from seniors Shelby Vas Matt and Lauren Kirch. Junior Jaliyah Bolden added 11 of her own, and Vas Matt added 14 digs for a double-double.
 
True freshman Micah Dinwiddie tallied a season-high 27 digs, while junior Erin Hoppe dished out 45 assists. Senior Ali Hubicsak also registered 10 digs.
 
The first set went in favor of Texas State by a score of 25-18. The Jaguars held a 16-12 lead at one point, but the visitors rattled off 13 of the final 15 points to lay claim to take the early advantage.
 
USA evened the match by winning the second set 25-19. The home team powered ahead 7-2 in the early going, and TXST was never able to get closer than four points the rest of the way.  
 
The third set went back-and-forth as the two sides jockeyed for position, but it was South Alabama who would break an 18-18 deadlock to win 25-21.
 
Texas State fought back to send the contest into a fifth and decisive set after winning the fourth 25-18. A Kirch kill at 6-6 gave the Bobcats a 7-6 edge, and they never relinquished the lead the rest of the set.
 
TXST carried the momentum over into the fifth set, as the visiting side went ahead 3-1 and never looked back.
 
Texas State outhit USA .163 to .134. The visitors also led in blocks (15-10), aces (5-3) and kills (59-52).
 
Kellyn Reeves paced the Jaguars with 26 assists and 14 digs. Mechell Daniel had a match-high 19 kills, while Iva Durdanovic added 12. Emma Anderson compiled a double-double with 16 assists and 10 digs. Abby Baker (20) and Arissa Chappell (12) also registered double-figure digs.
 
The Bobcats are set to return home for four-straight league matches. First up will be a showdown against league newcomer Coastal Carolina, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 inside Strahan Coliseum. The event will also be the annual Pink Out match to help support breast cancer awareness.
 
TEXAS STATE COACH KAREN CHISUM
On picking up two conference wins on the road…
"Getting two road wins is major. It's tough to play on the road. USA is a much-improved team from last year. They gave us everything we could take. I was extremely proud that our kids hung in there, battled and stayed confident."
 
On individual performances…
"We did some pretty good things. Shelby Vas Matt had one of her best matches of the season with 13 kills and 14 digs. We wanted to play through the middles, and we got Lauren (Kirch) and Jaliyah (Bolden) the ball as much as we could. Erin Hoppe did some good things and then got into a little bit of a rut. Emily (Shelton) went in and did a decent job. Before that fifth game, I told Erin to just let it go. That's one of the phrases she's asked me to use with her when she makes a mistake. So I just told her to let it go. All of those things were behind us. She went in and did a really nice job in the fifth game. Ali Hubicsak has a very nice serve and did a great job today. Micah (Dinwiddie) had her best game today with 27 digs. I'm really happy to get on that plane with two wins. I'm ready to get home and start preparing for a Coastal Carolina team that is very good."
 
On the message to the team after falling behind 2-1…
"I just told them that game 4 was the most important game of the match. I wanted them to be confident and just think about what we did right in the first game. I told them to not forget our gameplan, which was going through the middles. We just got back to doing what we needed to do, and we were able to get the win."
 
-TxStateBobcats.com-