TEMPE, Ariz. – The Texas State volleyball team earned a 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 25-17) victory over Northern Arizona in Saturday's first match at the 2018 Sparky Classic Presented by DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe.
 
The Bobcats (8-5) remained perfect on the weekend, while the Lumberjacks (7-5) are now 0-2 in Tempe after upsetting 2017 NCAA runner-up Florida last week.
 
Senior Madison Daigle and junior Cheyenne Huskey combined for 28 kills on 50 swings. They each hit .440 in the contest, and Huskey added a match-high 15 digs for her fourth double-double. True freshman Emily DeWalt tallied 46 assists and nine digs, while both junior Micah Dinwiddie (14) and sophomore Brooke Johnson (11) contributed double-figure digs. Senior Amy Pflughaupt posted 11 kills.
 
For the second match in a row, the maroon and gold did not allow an opposing player to reach double-figure kills. Heaven Harris came the closest, finishing with nine. Sydney Lema (13), Kaylie Jorgenson (12) and Jordan Anderson (10) all boasted double-digit digs, while Abby Stomp (14) and Aubrea Bandfield (13) combined for 27 assists.
 
Texas State led the match in kills (62-34), hitting percentage (.306-.203), assists (59-32), and digs (59-42). Northern Arizona led in aces (9-8) and blocks (8-2).
 
SET 1
Texas State snatched the opening period 25-17. The Lumberjacks had a short-lived 7-6 advantage that was quickly swatted away by the Bobcats. TXST then turned a narrow 11-10 lead into a 16-11 cushion and never looked back, marginally improving the difference all the way out to the final eight-point gap.
 
SET 2
The Bobcats went on top two sets to love after winning the second 25-21. They scored to go ahead 4-3 and maintained the lead the rest of the frame. NAU never got back within three points after TXST powered into a 13-8 advantage. The Lumberjacks fended off the first two set points faced, but Texas State was able to convert on its third opportunity.
 
SET 3
The Lumberjacks swung momentum in their favor by capturing the third set 25-16. TXST initially found a 6-3 lead, but NAU battled back and ventured on a 14-5 run to pull ahead 17-11. Northern Arizona stretched its advantage out to as many as 10 points, which proved too great a deficit for the Bobcats to overcome.
 
SET 4
Texas State came alive in the fourth and closed out the day with a 25-17 set triumph. Northern Arizona was initially able to take a 6-5 lead. The team was then forced to burn through both timeouts during a 9-0 Bobcat run that put the maroon and gold ahead 14-6. The surge was all TXST would need to stay on top and wrap up the victory.
 
Texas State improved to 3-1 all-time over Northern Arizona. This was the first meeting between the programs since 2005 and the first Bobcat victory in the series since 1986.
 
TXST is slated to end non-conference action at 9 p.m. this evening against host Arizona State. The match will be for the Sparky Classic championship as both teams enter with 2-0 records on the weekend. The Sun Devils are 9-2 this season and are looking to close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 10-2 record for the second year in a row.
 
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