CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Texas State volleyball team came from behind to defeat Cincinnati 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 15-13) on the second day of the Xavier Tournament Saturday morning inside Cintas Center.
 
The meeting was the first between the two programs. The Bobcats improved to 2-2 on the year, while the Bearcats dropped to 1-4.
 
The winning side had five reach double-figure kills, led by junior Madison Daigle's career-high 16. Sophomore Megan Porter recorded her second career double-double as she ended with a career-high 26 digs and 13 kills.
 
Sophomore Amy Pflughaupt posted a double-double in just the second match of her Bobcat career. She tallied 13 kills and 12 digs. True freshman Effie Zielinski had 15 kills, while senior Jaliyah Bolden added 13. True freshman Brooke Johnson (31) and senior Erin Hoppe (30) both reached the 30-assist mark, and sophomore Micah Dinwiddie contributed 14 digs.
 
Cincinnati won the opening frame 25-20. Texas State held its final lead at 7-6, and a 9-4 surge gave the Bearcats a four-point advantage they would not relinquish. They were able to stretch their lead out to six at 22-16 and went on to finish off the five-point margin of victory.
 
Texas State pulled even by capturing the second set 25-23. The maroon and gold initially jumped on top 12-6 and looked to be in complete control, but UC scored seven of the next 10 points to get within two. TXST regained a six-point cushion at 20-14, but another run from Cincinnati tied the game at 22-22. A kill from Bolden and an attack error moved the Bobcats to within the brink of the set, which was then capped off by a kill from Daigle.
 
The Bearcats regained the advantage after claiming the third by a 25-18 margin. Texas State was able to play to a 5-5 standstill, but UC used a big run to take a 19-10 advantage. The Bobcats were unable to get any closer than six the rest of the way.
 
TXST flipped the script in the fourth, as the Bobcats jumped on top 4-0 and never trailed. They led 7-2 at one point, but Cincinnati climbed back to within two at 11-9. Texas State rattled off each of the next seven points, however, to steal the momentum back for good. The Bobcats went on to win the frame 25-20.
 
Neither team could find a decisive advantage in the fifth, which saw six ties. The final draw came at 13-13, which forced a Texas State timeout. The Bobcats then got back-to-back kills from Pflughaupt to seal the victory.

Carly Nolan led all players with 21 kills. She also registered 14 digs for the double-double. Chrysanth Stamatiou (12) and Maya Muldrow (10) joined Nolan in the double-figure kill category. Jade Tingelhoff powered the offense with 52 assists and added 14 digs. Maya Eller (16 and Emily Azzara (10) also tallied double-digit digs.

This was the first five-set match for the maroon and gold this season and the second in a 12-hour span for the Bearcats after going the distance in a win over Xavier Friday night. TXST had five such contests in 2016.
 
Texas State had decisive advantages in kills (75-58), assists (72-57) and digs (72-67). UC led in attack percentage (.271-.223), aces (7-4) and blocks (13-5).
 
­­The Bobcats will close out the weekend with a 6 p.m. (CDT) match against host Xavier later tonight.
 
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