SAN MARCOS, Texas – After a three-match roach trip, the Texas State volleyball team (12-7, 4-1 Sun Belt) returns to the confines of Strahan Arena for a pair of matches this weekend. The Bobcats will start with a 6:30 p.m. serve vs. Georgia State Oct. 11, and wrap-up the three-match week with a 6:30 p.m. match vs. Georgia Southern Oct. 12. The Georgia State match will serve as Texas State's annual Pink Out match.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN+ vs. Georgia State and Georgia Southern – PxP: Brant Freeman, Analyst: Mick Haley
Listen vs. Georgia Southern – 89.9 FM KTSW (San Marcos)
Live Stats vs. Georgia State - Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. Georgia Southern - Statbroadcast
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• Texas State started the week with its second consecutive sweep of the season after topping UT Arlington Tuesday night. Since the Bobcats came up short vs. Arkansas State last weekend, they not only have swept the next two matches but have not trialed in a single set in either match.
• TXST still leads the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 4-1 record.
• The Bobcats enter the weekend with a five-match home winning streak and are 8-2 in the last 10 matches. The Bobcats are also ranked No. 59 in the first RPI rankings of the 2019 season.  
• Though TXST ranks No. 8 in the Sun Belt with a .192 hitting percentage overall this season, they have been dominant offensively since the start of league play and ranks No. 3 in the conference with a .249 clip. They have also held their conference counterparts to a .113 attack percentage that tops the league and sits in the top five in aces (1.94/set, No. 2), blocks (2.17/set, No. 3), digs (16.00/set, No. 4) and assists (11.56/set, No. 5).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey's 3.35 kills per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 0.47 aces per set (No. 4 in the Sun Belt; 31 total) leads the Bobcats. She also adds 2.11 digs per set and has 30 total blocks.
• Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.64 kills per set and has 32 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage at .323 (No. 5 in the Sun Belt) behind 102 kills and has 60 blocks, including nine solos. Scott's 1.07 blocks per set rank No. 2 in the Sun Belt.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.67 assists set which sits No. 5 in the conference. DeWalt also adds 2.45 digs per set, 38 kills, 25 blocks and 20 aces this year.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begin with sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 88 kills with a .242 hitting percentage to go along with 51 blocks (seven solos), and three aces. In conference matches only, Slaughter ranks No. 5 in the league with 1.12 blocks per set.
• Junior libero Brooke Johnson puts up a team-best 2.50 digs per set and has 54 assists and eight aces in 2019. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.13 digs per set and 13 aces this season. Dinwiddie has 1,621 career digs and is 26 digs shy from becoming the program's all-time leader.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
• Georgia State is 1-4 in its last five matches and are 0-3 on the road this season. The Panthers is 0-3 in three-set matches and 3-5 in four-set matches this season. However, they are 2-2 in five-set matches in 2019.
• GSU split a pair of matches last weekend. After taking down South Alabama in five sets for it first conference win, they dropped a 3-1 decision vs. Troy.
• Defense is the strength of this Panther team as they lead the league with 2.15 blocks per set and hold their opponents to a .177 hitting percentage (No. 4). Offensively, they rank No. 9 in assists (11.10/set) and aces (1.20/set), No. 10 in kills (11.75/set) and No. 11 in hitting percentage (.155).
• Senior outside hitter Sydney Stroud leads the Panthers with 2.73 kills per set and adds 42 total blocks. Junior middle hitter is an all-around solid player, averaging 2.05 kills per set (123 total) and has 12 aces. Griffin's biggest contributions are at the net where she leads the Sun Belt Conference with 1.17 blocks per set and totals 70 blocks, including 10 solos.
• Senior middle Madelyn Ott is the efficient hitter on the roster with a .348 hitting percentage this season ranking No. 3 in the conference and leads the league in conference-only matches with a .433 clip. Ott averages 1.91 kills per set.
• Freshman setter Kampbell Hehr hands out 7.25 assists per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and junior right side Dzemila Hadzic leads the team with 0.33 aces per set (20 total).   
• Sophomore libero Lauren Bandera is a huge part of the Panthers' defense prowess as her 4.66 assists per set ranks No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
• Georgia Southern has one win in its last six matches and are 1-5 on the road this season. The Eagles are 1-3 in conference play after picking up its first conference victory vs. Troy (3-1) last weekend before falling to South Alabama in straight sets.
• GS is another defensively sound unit, ranking No. 4 in blocks at 1.98 per set and digs 15.08 per set. They also rank No. 7, giving up .190 opponent hitting percentage. On offense, the Eagles enter the weekend ranked No. 8 in aces per set (1.23), No. 9 in hitting percentage (.185) and No. 11 in kills per set (11.09) and assists per set (10.28). Since conference play, GS leads the league with 2.57 blocks per set but ranks last in hitting percentage (.127), assists (8.86 /set) and kills (9.50/set).
• Sophomore outside hitter Maddie Bryant leads the Eagles' hitter with 2.96 kills per set. She also has 2.45 digs per set, 26 total blocks and 10 aces on the year.
• Senior outside Carly Turner and freshman right side Mya Wilson follows with 2.66 and 2.45 kills per set, respectively. Turner adds 15 blocks and six aces, and Wilson has 32 blocks this season.
• Sophomore middle Baylor Bumford leads the team with 43 blocks this year and a .263 hitting percentage. She has a total of 74 kills and eight aces. Since Sun Belt play began, Bumford leads the league with 1.43 blocks per set and No. 3 with a .383 attack percentage.
• Sophomore setter Maddison Brown leads the Eagles with 9.17 assists per set (No. 6 in the Sun Belt) and 15 aces. She also averages 2.32 digs and has 19 aces. Junior libero Landon Jones also ranks No. 6 in the league with 4.30 digs per set to go with her 34 assists and 11 aces.   
  
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Bobcats are a combined 16-2 vs. Georgia State and Georgia Southern. TXST is 10-2 all-time vs. Georgia State and are on a seven-match winning streak and are a perfect 6-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Georgia Southern.
• Texas State took care of Georgia State on the road in straight sets last year led by Huskey's 10 kills and DeWalt's double-double (29 assists, 15 digs) on Oct. 6, 2018.
• The Bobcats defeated the Eagles 3-1 on October 5, 2018 behind three Bobcat players who finished with double-digit kills, including Huskey's 12. DeWalt put up 46 assists and 10 blocks.  
 
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