SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team earned its first postseason victory in school history with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) win over Rice in the first round of the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship Thursday night inside Strahan Coliseum.

The Bobcats (25-9) reached their highest win total since 2011, while the Owls (21-9) saw their season come to a close.
 
TXST will now face Texas Tech in the NIVC Second Round at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 inside Strahan Coliseum. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals and will meet UC Irvine. The Red Raiders (16-14) dispatched SMU 3-0 in the night's first match.
 
Fans planning to attend Friday's match are encouraged to arrive early. Parking will be at a premium with Bobcat Stadium set to host a high school football playoff game and the continuation of the annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas event.
 
Senior Jaliyah Bolden powered TXST over Rice with 19 kills and just two errors on 31 swings (.548 percentage). Sophomore Megan Porter posted a double-double with 17 digs and 12 kills, while senior Erin Hoppe distributed 46 assists and sophomore Mattie Adams tallied 13 digs.
 
Fellow sophomore Micah Dinwiddie finished with 30 digs, which was the highest mark by a Sun Belt player in a three-set match since Nov. 22, 2014 (Arkansas State's Markie Schaedig).
 
The opening set featured 10 ties and a trio of lead changes, but it was ultimately captured by the maroon and gold. TXST saw the first bit of daylight by finding leads of 17-14 and 18-15, but the Owls quickly closed the gap to one and stayed at that deficit all the way to 22-21. The home team used an error and kills from Hoppe and junior Madison Daigle to secure the final three points necessary to take the 1-0 lead.
 
The margin for error was razor thin throughout the second period, as well, as the two sides battled to an 18-18 standstill. The home team won the crucial final points to earn a second-straight 25-21 win. Texas State was initially trailing 15-12 and closed the frame on a 13-6 run.
 
The Bobcats were able to find a bit more breathing room in the final set at 18-13, but even that advantage quickly evaporated down to 21-19. They would not be denied, however, as they were able to claim four of the final five points to move on to the next round.
 
No Owl had double-figure kills. Nicole Lennon led the visitors with nine on 41 swings for a .122 percentage. She also added 12 digs. Madison McDaniel finished with a team-high 28 assists and added 11 digs. Lee Ann Cunningham (17) and Julianna Dole (12) also posted double-digit digs.
 
The Bobcats led the night in kills (51-34), attack percentage (.226-.127), assists (50-32), digs (84-69), and blocks (6-4). The Owls led in aces, 5-4.
 
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