SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team (14-7, 6-1 Sun Belt) turned in its 18th consecutive Sun Belt Conference win at home and fourth straight sweep by dominating Georgia Southern (6-11, 1-5 Sun Belt) 25-10, 25-15, 25-13 Saturday at Strahan Arena.
 
"That was another all-around good match for us," said head coach Karen Chisum. "We hit .449 so you cannot complain about that and we kept Georgia Southern from getting in any kind of rhythm. We served well and had nine aces but if there is one thing we have to improve, it is our blocking, but that will come. It was just another solid game overall and glad about giving these great crowds wins to watch."
 
The Bobcats turned in a season-high .449 hitting percentage and registered 49 kills on 89 swings with nine errors, marking the second time in three matches that they have registered less than 10 attacking errors. The Maroon and Gold had the advantage over the Eagles in most statistical measures including kills (49-23), hitting percentage (.449-.139), assists (41-22), digs (32-26) and aces (9-1). Both teams logged two blocks.
 
With the win, Texas State improves to 7-0 all-time vs. Georgia Southern and keeps its seven-match home winning streak in tack.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the charge offensively for Texas State with 13 kills on 22 swings with one error for a season-best .545 hitting percentage. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey registered 12 kills (.409) and matched her career-best five aces for the fourth time. Huskey also recorded four digs. Freshman outside Lauren Teske rounded out the top hitters with 10 kills (.400) and had one block and one assist. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt continued to play at a high level, handing out 36 assists and logging four kills, four digs, one ace, and one block, and junior libero Brooke Johnson finished with a team-high 11 digs and chipped in two assists and one ace.
 
Georgia Southern was led by senior outside hitter Carly Turner's six kills and the team's lone ace. Sophomore middle hitter Baylor Bumford (.444) and senior outside Ryan Tuten each had five kills in the loss. Bumford also had a match-high two blocks, including one solo. Sophomore setter Madison Brown led the team with 20 assists and had four digs, while junior libero Landon Jones finished with a match-high 12 digs.
 
Set 1
The Bobcats continued their offensive dominance by jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind five kills and would eventually build a 14-3 advantage before GS called their second timeout. Texas State could not be stopped however and took the opening set, 25-10. Although they did not have a single block in the set, the Bobcats hit .571 as a unit with 17 kills on 28 swings and one error.
 
Set 2
Texas State scored five unanswered points to open the stanza and held a 9-3 lead when Georgia Southern called for time. GS continued to fight but used their second timeout after TXST used a 3-1 run to increase the margin to 16-8. Although the Eagles kept the Bobcats honest, the home team separated themselves at the end and won the set 25-15.  
 
Set 3
The Bobcats took control early in the third set and led 7-2 by the first pause in action. A 6-1 burst by TXST helped the team build an 11-point margin at 17-6 but GS responded by scoring six of the next eight points to bring the score to 19-12. That would be their last push as the Bobcats ended the match on another 6-1 scoring margin capped by a 4-0 burst to the finish line to win 25-13.   
 
Texas State will conclude its longest home stretch in conference play next weekend with 6:30 p.m. matches vs. Troy (Oct. 18) and South Alabama (Oct. 19).
 
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