MATCH 28: Texas State at Arkansas State
Time / Date	6:30 p.m. / Friday, November 2
Location	Jonesboro, Ark.
Arena	First National Bank Arena
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Video ($)	Red Wolves Digital Network
Audio	None
Match Notes	Texas State
Series History	TXST leads 9-8

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team is set to begin a stretch of three matches on the road to close out the regular-season portion of the schedule.

The Bobcats (22-5, 13-0) head to Arkansas for a pair of Sun Belt West Division matches against Arkansas State and Little Rock. TXST will first face the Red Wolves (15-10, 7-5) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in Jonesboro. The team will then take on the Trojans (15-10, 7-5) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3 in Little Rock.

The Bobcats enter the weekend with a school-record NCAA RPI of No. 27. Appalachian State is the second-highest Sun Belt school at No. 105. Texas State is currently receiving votes in the VolleyMob.com National Top 25 Power Rankings. The maroon and gold is ranked No. 21 in the most-recent iteration of the VolleyballMag.com Mid-Major Poll. TXST just completed the month of October 9-0, marking the fifth time in school history that the maroon and gold went 9-0 or better in a month.

 

MATCH 29: Texas State at Little Rock
Time / Date	6:30 p.m. / Saturday, November 3
Location	Little Rock, Ark.
Arena	Jack Stephens Center
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Video ($)	Little Rock All-Access
Audio	None
Match Notes	Texas State
Series History	TXST leads 7-5

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 69 years (39/17/13), a mark which is by far the highest in the nation for any coaching staff. The next closest is Bryant at just 52 years, while St. John's and Northern Iowa are tied for third at 49 cumulative seasons.

A LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
•    Texas State has posted a 22-5 record this season and is 13-0 in Sun Belt Conference action.
•    TXST is currently riding a 17-match win streak, which is the longest since 2000 and third-longest in school history.
•    Texas State also had a 10-match win streak last year. This marks the first time in history that the maroon and gold has posted double-digit win streaks in back-to-back campaigns.
•    The win streak is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA along with UCF. The 22 wins are tied for fourth-most in the nation.
•    Statistically, TXST leads the Sun Belt in most wins overall (22), home wins (11), road wins (9), longest win streak (17), attack percentage (.268), assists per set (13.71) and kills per set (14.37), while ranking third in digs (15.73).
•    Individually, Emily DeWalt leads the Sun Belt in double-doubles (17) and assists (10.68). Madison Daigle is fourth in hitting percentage (.351) and sixth in blocks (1.10), Cheyenne Huskey is sixth in kills (3.09), Amy Pflughaupt is seventh in kills (3.05), and Micah Dinwiddie is eighth in digs (3.80).
•    Texas State's strength of schedule is currently ranked No. 63 in the nation. The next closest Sun Belt school is Coastal Carolina at No. 75, while Arkansas State is third at No. 141.
•    Coach Karen Chisum has now led Texas State to 31 winning seasons in her 39 years at the helm. She has also now coached 25 different teams to at least 20 wins.

A LOOK AT ARKANSAS STATE
•    A-State (15-10, 7-5) has been on a tear lately, winning five of its last six matches.
•    During the stretch, the Red Wolves have swept Louisiana, Little Rock, Georgia Southern and ULM.
•    A-State ranks second in the Sun Belt in opponent hitting percentage (.177), third in kills (13.17), fourth in assists (12.45) and fifth in aces (1.32).
•    The Red Wolves feature the league's top offensive threat in Carlisa May. The Sun Belt Offensive Preseason Player of the Year leads the conference with 4.73 kills per set.
•    Ellie Watkins is fourth in assists (10.19), Tatum Ticknor is fourth in digs (4.05), and Madison Turner ranks sixth in hitting percentage (.330) and seventh in blocks (1.06).
•    The team is currently tied for third in the Sun Belt West Division.
•    Texas State won the first matchup in San Marcos this season to improve to 9-8 all-time in the series. The Red Wolves won six of the first seven meetings, and the Bobcats have captured eight of the last 10.

A LOOK AT LITTLE ROCK
•    The Trojans (15-10, 7-5) have dropped their last two matches - including a midweek tilt to A-State - to fall into the same record as the Red Wolves.
•    Prior to the recent slump, Little Rock had won four straight with triumphs over ULM, Louisiana, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern.
•    LR hosts UT Arlington one day prior to entertaining the maroon and gold.
•    The Trojans are the top team across the board statistically. They own the leagues top defensive unit, leading the way in blocks (2.69) and opponent hitting percentage (.159), while ranking second in digs (15.74).
•    Offensively, LR ranks second in hitting percentage (.239), third in assists (12.49) and fourth in kills (13.13).
•    Veronica Marin - a four-time Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week - leads the league in blocks (1.59) and is second in hitting percentage (.386). Carol Barbosa is third in hitting percentage (.383) and Taylor Lindberg is sixth in aces (0.31) and eighth in assists (6.55).
•    The team is currently tied for third in the Sun Belt West Division.
•    Texas State leads the all-time series by a narrow 7-5 margin. The Bobcats are 5-1 in the last six meetings, including a 3-1 win in San Marcos earlier this year.

BATTLE TESTED
•    Four of Texas State's five setbacks this season have come against teams who have been ranked all season long in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll (Texas, Kentucky, Marquette, Baylor).
•    The fifth loss was to an LSU program that was receiving votes in the national poll.
•    In 135 total non-conference matches, the rest of the Sun Belt Conference combined for just six against ranked opponents all season (Georgia Southern vs. Minnesota / Arkansas State vs. Creighton / Louisiana vs. USC and San Diego / South Alabama vs. Purdue and Alabama).
•    The Bobcats own a win over Arizona State, who was ranked No. 25 in the nation two weeks ago. They have also defeated James Madison, who was ranked No. 13 in the VolleyballMag.com Mid-Major Poll, and Rice, who is currently ranked No. 16 in the same poll.
•    Texas State competed against five opponents who hail from a Power 5 Conference (Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Pac-12) during the non-conference portion of the season. That mark is also the highest of any Sun Belt school.

THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
•    The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Championship will be conducted Nov. 15-18 inside GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta.
•    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. 17.
•    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. 16.
•    The final four teams will be seeded regardless of division and will compete in the first round on Nov. 15.
•    The championship match will be held at noon Nov. 18.
•    Texas State has already locked up the No.  1 seed and will have played in the semifinals all six years since joining the Sun Belt. That mark includes a tournament title in 2013.
•    All matches will be streamed live on ESPN Plus.

WHERE THEY STAND
•    TXST is currently 13-0 in league play and has already locked up the Sun Belt West Division title for the second-straight year.
•    The Bobcats have also already secured no worse than a share of the regular season title and the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament. One more win or one more loss by Appalachian State clinches the regular-season crown outright.
•    If the season were to end today, Texas State and App would win their respective divisions and earn double byes into the semifinals of the postseason tournament.
•    Coastal Carolina and UT Arlington 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), Little Rock (No. 6), South Alabama (No. 7) and Troy (No. 8).
•    Louisiana, Georgia State, ULM, and Georgia Southern are all currently on the outside looking in for a playoff berth.

THE BEST IS IN THE WEST
•    The Sun Belt West Division has reigned supreme over the East Division this year.
•    Five of the six teams from the West have at least 13 wins and a .500 record, and every team has at least 10 victories.
•    Appalachian State (17-7) is the only team from the East with at least 12 victories or a record at .500 or better.
•    The combined winning percentage from the West is currently .586 (89-63) overall and .568 (42-32) in league play.
•    The combined winning percentage amongst East teams is currently .428 (62-83) overall and .432 (32-42) in Sun Belt matches.
•    In matches pitting East vs. West teams in 2018, the West won the series 23-13.

THE LAST TIME OUT
•    Texas State swept ULM 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-14) on Oct. 28 to earn no worse than a share of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship.
•    The Bobcats secured their first regular-season title since 2011 when they won the Southland Conference Championship. This also marked their second Sun Belt title, with the other being the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
•    TXST had a pre-match ceremony Sunday to pay tribute to its four seniors (Halee Brewer, Madison Daigle, Megan Porter, Amy Pflughaupt), graduate assistant Summer Morgan and male practice player Amir Lancaster. There was also a celebration at intermission to honor the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 Bobcat team that won the SLC crown.
•    Brewer led Texas State with a career-high 11 kills, Emily DeWalt distributed 38 assists and Cheyenne Huskey tallied 10 digs.
•    The maroon and gold led in kills (45-24), attack percentage (.388-.055), assists (45-23), aces (8-4), digs (46-19) and blocks (7-5).
•    Texas State improved to 44-2 all-time against the Warhawks and has taken each of the last 13 matches in the series.
 
TXST CROWDS BLOW AWAY SUN BELT
•    Texas State's attendance numbers have completely dwarfed the rest of the Sun Belt Conference this season.
•    The Bobcats have played in front of 1,000 fans on 12 occasions (nine at home, three on the road). The rest of the league has combined - in matches not in San Marcos - for just five. All five of those matches (three for Coastal Carolina, one each for Georgia Southern and Louisiana) were on the road.
•    TXST's average attendance is currently 1,255, and the total attendance is 15,061. The average is a new school record, and the total number is second-most in a single season in school history.
•    None of Georgia State, Little Rock, South Alabama, or Troy have even seen 1,000 fans this season.
•    Appalachian State, Arkansas State, UT Arlington, and ULM have each only seen 1,000 fans once, and all of those came at Texas State. The largest crowd Little Rock has played in front of (943) also came in San Marcos.
•    The Bobcats have led the conference in attendance each of the last five years.

DeWALT BREAKS RECORD WITH 11 SUN BELT WEEKLY HONORS                                                                                                                         
•    Emily DeWalt has captured 11 Sun Belt Conference weekly accolades this season, which is the most in a single campaign in league history.
•    She was most-recently tabbed as the Sun Belt Setter of the Week on Oct. 29 after helping lead the Bobcats to victories over Louisiana and ULM.
•    She amassed 89 assists (11.13/set), 22 digs (2.75/set), five kills and four blocks in leading Texas State to a pair of victories over Louisiana and ULM. DeWalt began her week with 51 assists and 18 digs in a thrilling five-set win over the Ragin' Cajuns. She then tallied 38 assists in a sweep over the Warhawks. She also hit .455 thanks to zero errors on 11 attacks.
•    Texas State leads the league with a school-record 15 conference laurels.
•    DeWalt has also been named Sun Belt Setter of the Week on five other occasions (Sept. 3, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 22). She is the first freshman in conference history to win the accolade more than once.
•    She has won five Sun Belt Freshman of the Week honors (Sept. 3, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 15).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINES
    Five different members of the maroon and gold have recorded at least one double-double this season.
•    Emily DeWalt (17) - The true freshman has registered at least 10 assists and digs in 17 of Texas State's 27 matches this season. That mark leads the Sun Belt Conference.
•    Micah Dinwiddie (1) - The junior libero had 18 digs and a career-high 11 assists for the first double-double of her career against Louisiana.
•    Cheyenne Huskey (6) - The junior transfer has logged double-digit kills and digs against UTSA, James Madison, Rice, Northern Arizona, Arkansas State, and Louisiana.
•    Amy Pflughaupt (1) - The senior ended the match against Rice with season highs in both kills (18) and digs (15).
•    Brooke Johnson (1) - The sophomore collected 11 digs and 10 assists against Kentucky.

2018 CAREER-HIGH PERFORMANCES
    Below is a list of all Bobcat returners who have registered new single-match career highs in 2018.
•    Halee Brewer - 5 blocks (Appalachian State), 11 kills (ULM)
•    Madison Daigle - 4 assists (UTSA), 6 digs (James Madison), .750 attack percentage (Georgia State)
•    Micah Dinwiddie - 11 assists (Louisiana)
•    Brooke Johnson - 4 aces (UTA)
•    Tyeranee Scott - .900 attack percentage (Louisiana), 2 assists (UTA)
•    Konner Wood - 3 assists (UTSA)

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