Volleyball | 10/5/2017 8:00:00 AM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team will wrap up its four-match road set with a trip to Arkansas this weekend. The Bobcats will compete at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 against Little Rock (5-11, 1-3 SBC) in Little Rock, Arkansas. The maroon and gold will then take on Arkansas State (9-8, 2-2 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Texas State (11-7, 3-1 SBC) is currently in sole possession of second place in the SBC West Division through two weekends of competition. All four league matches for TXST have ended in 3-0 sweeps. The Bobcats had five five-set matches during non-conference play.

MATCH 1: TEXAS STATE at LITTLE ROCK
Site: Jack Stephens Center – Little Rock, Ark.
Date/Time: October 6 / 6:30 p.m. (CDT)
TV/Online Stream: HERE
Live Stats: HERE
Radio: None
All-Time Series Record: Little Rock leads 5-4

MATCH 2: TEXAS STATE at ARKANSAS STATE
Site: Convocation Center – Jonesboro, Ark.
Date/Time: October 7 / 6:30 p.m. (CDT)
TV/Online Stream: WatchESPN
Live Stats: HERE
Radio: None
All-Time Series Record: Arkansas State leads 8-6

AMERICA'S LONGEST-TENURED STAFF
•    The Texas State full-time coaching staff consists of head coach Karen Chisum, associate head coach Tracy Smith and assistant coach Sean Huiet.
•    The trio has been at Texas State for a combined 66 years (38/16/12), a mark which is by far the highest in the nation for any coaching staff. The next closest is Texas A&M at just 52 years, while Penn State ranks third at 47 years.
•    For comparison's sake, the respective coaching staffs of this weekend's opponents of Little Rock (45) and Arkansas State (8) have only been at their schools for a combined 53 total years.

A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
•    The Bobcats have the most wins overall (11) and the most road wins (5) in the Sun Belt Conference. They are also second-best in win percentage (.611) and fewest losses (7). They are one of only four teams who currently sport a winning record in the league, joining South Alabama (9-5), Louisiana (10-7) and Arkansas State (9-8).
•    TXST presently leads the conference in assists (12.54) and ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.164), kills (13.25) and digs (16.06).
•    Other than digs in 2013, Texas State has never finished a campaign leading the Sun Belt in a statistical category.
•    The maroon and gold became members of the SBC in 2013.
•    Texas State finished second in the SBC West Division last year and advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 SBC Championship.
•    TXST is 4-2 at home, 2-4 on neutral grounds and 5-1 in true road matches this season.
•    The Bobcats own eight non-conference victories this year, which is the most since 2013.

TXST SILENCES VAUNTED CHANTICLEERS
•    The Bobcats earned a 3-0 road sweep (27-25, 25-21, 25-20) over Coastal Carolina inside HTC Center Oct. 1 in Conway, South Carolina.
•    The Chanticleers, the defending league champions who were picked to repeat this year, suffered their first sweep as members of the SBC and just their second loss overall since joining the league. This was also their first league home sweep since Oct. 29, 2011 (Presbyterian College), when they were members of the Big South Conference.
•    Three Bobcats registered double-digit kills, led by 12 each from Jaliyah Bolden and Amy Pflughaupt. Megan Porter added 11 kills, while Erin Hoppe distributed a match-high 35 assists and Micah Dinwiddie tallied 15 digs.
 •    No Chanticleer had double-digit kills, with reigning SBC Player of the Year Leah Hardeman leading the home team with just seven kills on a -.054 hitting percentage (9 errors, 37 attacks).
 •    TXST led the way in kills (44-24), attack percentage (.157-.065), assists (41-24), aces (8-3), and digs (51-39). The Chanticleers were held to a season-low hitting percentage and had more blocks (11-5) than the Bobcats.

A LOOK AT LITTLE ROCK
•    Little Rock enters the weekend sitting at 5-11 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt.
•    The Trojans began the year 4-6 but have posted a 1-5 mark in their last six outings.
•    LR owns victories over ULM, Louisiana Tech and Texas Southern, while suffering setbacks in league play to Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana.
•    The Trojans feature Veronica Marin, who ranks second in the conference in blocks (1.33) and fourth in hitting percentage (.341).
•    Little Rock leads the all-time series with Texas State by a slim 5-4 margin. The two sides split their home-and-home matches last season with both winning on their respective home floors.
•    The series began in 1992 with TXST picking up a five-set win in Little Rock, but the foes would not see each other again until the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt in 2013.

A LOOK AT ARKANSAS STATE
•    The Red Wolves (9-8, 2-2 SBC) have split their opening league bouts. They have toppled Appalachian State and ULM, while dropping close tilts to Coastal Carolina and Louisiana.
•    A-State will face UTA in Jonesboro the day prior to taking on Texas State.
•    Arkansas State has won six of its last nine matches, with additional triumphs coming against UCF, Southern, Georgetown and Stephen F. Austin.
•    The Red Wolves have played a blistering schedule, with losses coming to Kentucky, Utah, Virginia Tech, SMU, Central Arkansas, and Rice.
•    They have had at least one player of the week in five of six weeks this year. They lead the SBC with eight weekly honorees in 2017. Players with at least one weekly accolade this campaign have been Carlisa May, Drew Jones, Tatum Ticknor, Ellie Watkins, Kenzie Fields, and Timber Terrell.
•    A-State has won conference championships each of the last two seasons and lost just one regular-season match last year.
•    Arkansas State leads the all-time series against Texas State 8-6. The Red Wolves won six of the first seven meetings, and the Bobcats have captured five of the last seven. The series began in 1981.

11th ANNUAL PINK MATCH SET FOR OCT. 10 VS. TCU
•    Texas State will face TCU out of the Big 12 Conference for the 11th Annual Pink Match at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 inside Strahan Coliseum.
•    TXST hosts the fundraising event for Pink Heals Hays County in an effort to raise money for the organization.
•    In conjunction with their bout with the Horned Frogs, the maroon and gold will take donations and hold a silent auction as part of their annual Pink Match contest to help promote cancer awareness.
•    In total, Texas State volleyball raised $7,788 for the local organization last season. 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.

CHISUM REACHES WIN NO. 850
•    With a decisive 3-0 triumph over previously undefeated Houston Baptist on Sept. 9, Coach Chisum reached win No. 850 for her career.
•    She is one of only five active coaches with at least 850 career victories, and she is one of just 11 coaches in the history of NCAA Division I women's volleyball to reach the illustrious mark.

HOPPE EARNS WEEKLY ACCOLADE
•    Erin Hoppe was honored as the Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week on Oct. 2.
•    The senior helped lead Texas State to a pair of road sweeps over Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. The Bobcats recorded their first-ever wins in both cities, while handing the Chanticleers their first home sweep in league play since Oct. 29, 2011.
•    The McKinney, Texas, native totaled 72 assists (12.00 per set), 10 digs (1.67 per set), six blocks (1.00 per set), three service aces and one kill. She posted 37 assists, five digs, three blocks and two aces against the Mountaineers before registering 35 assists, five digs, three blocks and one ace against CCU.
 •    The setter laurel is the third of Hoppe's career (Oct. 10, 2016 / Oct. 24, 2016).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINES
    Four different members of the maroon and gold have recorded at least one double-double this season.
•    Megan Porter - who entered her sophomore campaign with one double-double on her resume - has tallied six this season. She has reached double-figure kills and digs against Cincinnati, Sam Houston State, UTSA (twice), SMU, and Stephen F. Austin.
•    Freshman Brooke Johnson owns six double-doubles in assists and digs against SMU, Houston Baptist, Stephen F. Austin, Baylor, UTSA and St. John's.
•    Newcomer Amy Pflughaupt has posted at least 10 kills/digs against Cincinnati, Sam Houston State, SMU and UTSA.
•    Junior Madison Daigle recorded career highs in both kills (16) and blocks (10) against UTSA.

2017 TXST AWARD WATCH LIST
    Below is a list of all awards won by Bobcats in 2017.
•    Erin Hoppe - Sun Belt Preseason Setter of the Year
•    Jaliyah Bolden - Preseason All-Sun Belt
•    Erin Hoppe - Preseason All-Sun Belt
•    Megan Porter - Xavier Tournament All-Tournament Team
•    Effie Zielinski - Xavier Tournament All-Tournament Team
•    Madison Daigle - Creeds & Classic All-Tournament Team
•    Megan Porter - Creeds & Classic All-Tournament Team
•    Madison Daigle - SBC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12)
•    Micah Dinwiddie - Baylor Classic All-Tournament Team (Best Defender)
•    Erin Hoppe - SBC Setter of the Week (Oct. 2)

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