Volleyball | 11/1/2017 3:43:00 PM

MATCH 27: Arkansas State at Texas State
Date	Friday, Nov. 3
Time	6:30 p.m.
Location	San Marcos, Texas
Arena	Strahan Coliseum
Live Stats	StatBroadcast | SIDEARM
Video ($)	Texas State All-Access
Radio	None
Match Notes	Texas State
Series History	A-State leads 8-7

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team is set to compete in a stretch of three key matches across a four-day span.

The Bobcats (18-8, 9-2 SBC) will play host to Arkansas State and Little Rock in a pair of rematches this weekend, before hitting the road for a rare Monday tilt against UTA. TXST will host the Red Wolves (17-9, 10-3 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3 and then welcome the Trojans (9-16, 5-8 SBC) at noon Nov. 5. The maroon and gold will then head straight to Arlington to meet the Mavericks (11-13, 5-6 SBC) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6.

The winner of Friday's tilt will have sole possession of second place in the SBC West Division. The Bobcats are looking to rebound after seeing their 10-match win streak snapped at Louisiana this past weekend. The maroon and gold went on the road and swept both A-State and LR last month.
 

MATCH 28: Little Rock at Texas State
Date	Sunday, Nov. 5
Time	Noon
Location	San Marcos, Texas
Arena	Strahan Coliseum
Live Stats	StatBroadcast | SIDEARM
Video ($)	Texas State All-Access
Radio	KTSW 89.9 FM
Match Notes	Texas State
Series History	Tied 5-5

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), Arkansas State (8) and UTA (3) have only been at their schools for a combined 56 total years.
•    Not counting Little Rock's 45 years, the other 10 Sun Belt Conference schools have only amassed 82 combined years of tenure. Of the bunch, Appalachian State leads at 18 years, while Louisiana ranks second at 12.
 

MATCH 29: Texas State at UTA
Date	Monday, Nov. 6
Time	6:30 p.m.
Location	Arlington, Texas
Arena	College Park Center
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Video ($)	Mavericks All-Access
Radio	None
Match Notes	Texas State
Series History	UTA leads 41-36

A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
•    The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt Conference in RPI (81), most wins overall (18), most road wins (8), highest win percentage (.692) and longest win streak (W10). They are also second in home victories (8).
•    Statistically, TXST leads the conference in assists (12.95) and kills (13.75), while ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.160) and digs (16.60).
•    Other than digs in 2013, Texas State has never finished a campaign leading the Sun Belt in a statistical category.
•    The Bobcats own nine non-conference victories this year, which is the most since 2013.
•    TXST has already guaranteed itself a winning record this year and is two victories shy of reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth time in five years since joining the Sun Belt.
•    In her 38 years leading the Bobcats, Karen Chisum now has 30 winning seasons and is three wins shy of reaching 20 victories for the 24th time.

A LOOK AT ARKANSAS STATE
•    The Red Wolves (17-9, 10-3 SBC) have won seven-consecutive matches since falling to Texas State on Oct. 7.
•    Over that time, A-State has outscored opponents 21-3, dropping single sets to Little Rock, Louisiana and South Alabama.
•    They have had at least one player of the week in seven of 10 weeks this year. They lead the SBC with 11 weekly honorees in 2017. Players with at least one weekly accolade this campaign have been Carlisa May (4), Drew Jones, Tatum Ticknor, Ellie Watkins (2), Kenzie Fields, and Timber Terrell (2).
•    A-State has won conference championships each of the last two seasons and lost just one regular-season match in SBC play last year.
•    Arkansas State leads the all-time series against Texas State 8-7. The Red Wolves won six of the first seven meetings, and the Bobcats have captured six of the last eight. The series began in 1981.

A LOOK AT LITTLE ROCK
•    Little Rock enters the weekend sitting at 9-16 overall and 5-8 in the Sun Belt.
•    The Trojans have won three of their last five matches, which includes victories over ULM, Georgia Southern and Georgia State.
•    LR will face UTA in Arlington two days prior to taking on Texas State.
•    The Trojans feature Mya Robinson, who is the reigning SBC Freshman of the Week. Veronica Marin leads the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.340) and ranks fourth in blocks (1.13). Taylor Lindberg is fourth in assists (9.31), and Sydnee Martin is fourth in digs (4.45).
•    The all-time series is currently even at 5-5 after Texas State shutout the Trojans in Little Rock earlier this year. The two sides split their home-and-home series last year with both holding serve 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 UTA
•    The Mavericks are 11-13 overall and 5-6 in the conference this season.
•    They have won three of their last four outings, having knocked off Georgia Southern, Georgia State and ULM in a trio of bouts.
•    The team will host both A-State and Little Rock before Texas State comes to town.
•    UTA will roll out a quartet of players who are all ranked in the Sun Belt stats. Qiana Canete (3.52) and Zhanelle Geathers (3.51) are third and fourth, respectively, in kills per set this season, while Kailyn Gilbreath ranks fifth in the league at 9.00 assists per set. During conference play, Libbie Vickers has put herself in eighth with 3.99 digs per set.
•    UTA leads the all-time series 41-36, but Texas State has won 24 of the last 31 meetings. The Bobcats have also captured 15 of the last 17 contests, including each of the last five.

THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
•    The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Championship will emanate inside Convocation Center Nov. 16-19 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
•    The top four teams from each division (8 total) will qualify for postseason play. The east and west division champions will earn the top two seeds and receive byes through to the semifinals on Nov. 18.
•    The next two best records (regardless of division) will earn the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds and will receive byes into the quarterfinals on Nov. 17.
•    The final four teams will be seeded regardless of division and will compete in the first round on Nov. 16.
•    The championship match will be held at 1 p.m. Nov. 19.
•    Texas State has reached the semifinals all four years since joining the SBC, which includes a tournament title in 2013.
•    All matches will be streamed live on WatchESPN.

WHERE THEY STAND
•    TXST is currently 9-2 in league play and sits in solo second place in the SBC West Division.
•    If the season were to end today, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana would win their respective divisions and earn double byes into the semifinals of the conference championship.
•    South Alabama and Texas State would be the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively, and would begin play in the quarterfinals.
•    The field is currently slated to be rounded out by Arkansas State (No. 5), UTA (No. 6), Appalachian State (No. 7) and Georgia Southern (No. 8).
•    Little Rock, Troy, Georgia State and ULM are all currently on the outside looking in for a playoff berth with two weeks left in the regular season.

LAST TIME OUT
•    Texas State saw its 10-match win streak snapped in a 3-2 (25-27, 25-23, 25-12, 21-25, 15-8) loss to Louisiana on Oct. 28 inside Earl K. Long Gym.
•    Jaliyah Bolden, Megan Porter and Amy Pflughaupt all had 14 kills to lead the maroon and gold. Porter added 21 digs for her ninth double-double, while Tyeranee Scott tallied a career-high 12 kills. Erin Hoppe distributed 51 assists, while Micah Dinwiddie (33) and Mattie Adams (10) combined for 43 digs.
•    Stacey Reilly and Dree'Ana Abram had a match-high 16 kills each. Reilly added 14 digs, while Hanna Rovira (15) and Hali Wisnoskie (10) also posted double-figure kills. Jessica Bartczyszyn doubled up with 49 assists and 16 digs, while Sydney Davis (34) and Avery Breaux (13) combined for 47 digs.
•    Louisiana led in hitting percentage (.250-.191), aces (2-1) and blocks (9-7). TXST had match highs in kills (66-63) and digs (92-89). Both sides tallied 60 assists.

NEW POSTSEASON OPPORTUNITY
•    The end of the 2017 season is set to feature the return of a secondary postseason tournament for women's college volleyball teams.
•    The National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) will be an annual tournament involving 64 of the nation's top women's Division I volleyball teams.
•    All games, including the semifinals and championship, will be hosted by participating schools.
•    The previous iteration of the NIVC was held for seven seasons (1989-95) as a 20-team event, but the remodeled format will look similar to college basketball's WNIT.
•    There will be 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference, and 32 at-large berths.
•    Teams offered an automatic berth will be the highest-finishing team in its conference's regular-season standings who are not selected for the NCAA Championship. The team's overall record is not a criteria.
•    The 64-team field will be announced Nov. 26 after the NCAA Championship field is determined. The first two rounds will run Nov. 28-Dec. 1 with four teams competing per site. The event will culminate with the championship match on Dec. 12.
•    If the tournament had debuted last season, Texas State would have qualified as a No. 6 seed in its region and would have faced Rice in Houston in the opening round.

KNOCKING OFF GIANTS
•    Texas State has earned marquee victories this season against Coastal Carolina and Arkansas State.
•    The Bobcats knocked off the Chanticleers 3-0 in Conway on Oct. 1 before taking down the Red Wolves by an identical 3-0 margin in Jonesboro on Oct. 7.
•    The shutout loss was the first for the Red Wolves in SBC play since Nov. 22, 2014.
•    Coastal Carolina suffered its first home sweep in a conference match since Oct. 29, 2011, when the team was a member of the Big South Conference. It remains just the second loss overall as members of the Sun Belt.
•    The Chanticleers joined the league in 2016 and have only lost twice. Arkansas State defeated them in the regular season last year.
•    CCU is the defending league champions, while A-State is currently the reigning SBC West Division champs.
•    The two sides met in the SBC Championship match last year and were projected by the league's coaches to have repeat efforts in 2017.
•    No other member of the Sun Belt can lay claim to recording wins over both programs this year.

BREAKING OUT THE BROOMS
•    The Bobcats recently ended a stretch of nine consecutive 3-0 victories over SBC competition.
•    The maroon and gold swept Troy, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Little Rock, Arkansas State, UTA, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and ULM.
•    The streak tied the school record for consecutive shutouts in league play, a mark matched only one other time in school history (2000).
•    Five of the shutouts were on the road, which broke the previous school record of four, which was also set in 2000.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINES
    Five 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 nine this season. She has reached double-figure kills and digs against Cincinnati, Sam Houston State, UTSA (twice), SMU, Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas State, TCU, and Louisiana.
•    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 six double-doubles, coming against Cincinnati, Sam Houston State, SMU, UTSA, TCU, and UTA.
•    Junior Madison Daigle recorded career highs in both kills (16) and blocks (10) against UTSA.
•    Senior Erin Hoppe tallied 39 assists and a career-high 14 digs against TCU. She also had 22 assists and 11 digs against ULM.

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 & Crests Classic All-Tournament Team
•    Megan Porter - Creeds & Crests 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)
•    Erin Hoppe - SBC Setter of the Week (Oct. 9)
•    Amy Pflughaupt - SBC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 9)
•    Micah Dinwiddie - SBC Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 23)
•    Tyeranee Scott - SBC Freshman of the Week (Oct. 23)

2017 CAREER-HIGH PERFORMANCES
    Below is a list of all Bobcat returners who have registered single-match career highs in 2017.
•    Jaliyah Bolden - 12 blocks (SMU), .562 attack percentage (Georgia State), 6 digs (Arkansas State)
•    Madison Daigle - 16 kills (Cincinnati/UTSA), .600 hitting percentage (Troy), 10 blocks (UTSA/Troy), 5 digs (UTSA/South Alabama), 4 aces (Georgia State), 2 assists (3 times)
•    Micah Dinwiddie - 8 assists (Cincinnati)
•    Erin Hoppe - 14 digs (TCU), 7 kills and .400 hitting percentage (Georgia Southern/ULM)
•    Marissa Kindred - 8 kills and 3 blocks (Sam Houston State), .167 hitting percentage and 5 digs (UTSA)
•    Megan Porter - 19 kills (UTSA), 3 assists (Sam Houston State), .500 hitting percentage (UMass Lowell/Troy), 26 digs (Cincinnati)
•    Konner Wood - 10 digs and 2 assists (UTSA)

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