SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the first time this season, the Texas State volleyball team (14-7, 6-1 Sun Belt) welcomes a pair of Sun Belt Conference opponents with winning records in league play. The cross-division weekend will begin vs. Troy (15-3, 5-1 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and conclude vs. South Alabama (14-6, 5-1 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Both matches will be played at Strahan Arena.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN+ vs. Troy and South Alabama – PxP: Brant Freeman, Analyst: Ali Hubicsak (vs. Troy) / Bill Culhane (vs. South Alabama)
Listen vs. South Alabama – 89.9 FM KTSW (San Marcos)
Live Stats vs. Troy - Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. South Alabama - Statbroadcast
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• Texas State will put a few winning streaks on the line this weekend vs. Troy and South Alabama. The Bobcats enter the weekend on a four-match winning streak overall, a seven-match home winning streak, and an impressive 18-match winning streak in conference games played at home. The last loss at home in league play for the Bobcats dates back to Sept. 22, 2017 vs. South Alabama (0-3).  
• TXST leads the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 6-1 record and are now No. 2 overall in the league after an Appalachian State loss. Coastal Carolina (6-0) remains the only unbeaten team in the Sun Belt.
• The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt with a No. 52 RPI ranking. The team ranks inside the top 50 in all of Division I volleyball in team service aces (120, No. 26) aces per set (1.64/set, No. 39), and opponent hitting percentage (.170, No. 44).   
• Since the start of conference play, the Bobcats lead the league in hitting percentage (.290), opponent hitting percentage (.102) and aces (2.17/set). The team also ranks towards the top of the league in blocks (2.16/set, No. 3), kills (13.29/set, No. 5) and assists (11.71/set, No. 6).
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey paces the team with 3.32 kills per set (No. 7 in the Sun Belt) and 0.54 aces per set (No. 2 in the Sun Belt; 39 total). She also adds 2.14 digs per set and has 34 total blocks. Huskey's 0.54 aces per set rank No. 11 in all of Division I volleyball players and her 39 total aces rank No. 7 in DI volleyball.
• Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.71 kills per set and has 33 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage at .324 (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) behind 114 kills and has 65 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 9.76 assists set which sits No. 5 in the conference. DeWalt also adds 2.36 digs per set, 45 kills, 27 blocks and 23 aces this year.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begin with sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 99 kills with a .270 hitting percentage to go along with 55 blocks (seven solos), and three aces. In conference matches only, Slaughter ranks No. 6 in the league with 1.00 block per set.
• Junior libero Brooke Johnson leads the club with 2.58 digs per set and has 56 assists and 10 aces this season. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.12 digs per set and 16 aces in 2019. Dinwiddie has 1,633 career digs and is 14 digs shy from becoming the program's all-time leader. Sophomore DS Kaylie Koenen also ranks in the top 10 of the Sun Belt with 0.34 aces per set (No. 10).
 
SCOUTING TROY
• Troy enters the weekend on a three-match winning streak and is 9-1 in its last 10 matches.
• The Trojans are a perfect 10-0 at home this season and are 2-2 on the road which includes a 3-1 loss at Georgia Southern on Oct. 4.
• Overall in 2019, Troy leads the Sun Belt in assists (12.83/set), kills (13.86/set), and opponent hitting percentage (.154). The Trojans rank No. 2 with 1.67 aces per set, No. 3 with a .218 hitting percentage, and No. 8 in blocks (1.80/set) and digs (14.62/set).
• Junior outside hitter Cheyenne Hays is the league's leader with 4.27 kills per set and has a .239 hitting percentage. Hays also averages 2.48 digs per set, has 25 total blocks and 12 aces on the year.
• Freshman middle hitter Julia Brooks follows with 2.38 kills per set and ranks No. 5 in the conference with a .310 hitting percentage. Brooks also leads the team with 43 total blocks.
• Sophomore setter Amara Anderson has taken the league by storm and averages a conference-best 11.36 assists per set. She also has 2.61 digs on average, 33 kills, 22 blocks and 18 aces this year.   
• Sophomore libero Lacey Jeffcoat ranks No. 4 in the Sun Belt with 0.47 aces per set (30 total) and is tied at No. 9 with 3.86 digs per set. Sophomore setter Natalie Hummel also ranks in the top 10 of the league in aces with 0.41 per set (No. 6).
 
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
• South Alabama is on a four-match winning streak entering the weekend and will face UTA Oct. 18 before heading to Strahan Arena. USA is 11-0 at home this season and is 3-3 as the visiting team, including a five-set setback vs. Georgia State Oct. 4.
• The Jaguars rank towards the top half of the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.244, No. 2), opponent hitting percentage (.172, No. 3), aces per set (1.46, No. 6) and kills per set (12.82, No. 6). The team ranks No. 7 with 11. 39 assists per set, No. 9 with 14.38 digs per set, and No. 11 with 1.61 blocks per set.
• Senior middle blocker Kelley Hartman is the club's leader in kills per set (3.21), hitting percentage (.399) blocks (0.80/set, 57 total). Hartman's hitting percentage leads the Sun Belt and she ranks No. 8 in kills per set. She also has 13 aces this season.
• Senior outside Iva Durdanovic is second on the team with 188 total kills (.227). She also averages 2.71 digs per set and adds 18 blocks and 17 aces in 2019.
• Sophomore setter Rachael DeMarcus leads the team with 9.88 assists per set (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) and freshman Lillie Fromdahl follows with 6.31 assists per set (No. 10 in the Sun Belt). DeMarcus has 33 kills, 12 aces and 12 blocks, and Fromadahl has 12 kills, nine blocks and six aces this season.
• Junior outside hitter Hannah Harris has 0.35 aces per set (24 total) which ranks No. 8 in the league. She also adds 2.30 kills per set, 1.62 digs per set, and 22 total blocks to her 2019 statistics.
• Senior libero Ashlyn Roberts leads the Trojan's defense with 4.25 digs per set and has 15 aces. Roberts is this week's Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week.  
  
 SERIES HISTORY
• The Bobcats are a combined 18-3 vs. Troy and South Alabama. TXST is 10-0 all-time vs. Troy and are 8-3 in head-to-head meetings vs. South Alabama.
• Texas State and Troy played once last year at Troy where the Bobcats won in straight sets. Fitzgerald led the team with 12 kills and DeWalt registered a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs. Dinwiddie also had 11 digs in the match and Slaughter had a match-high six blocks.
• The last meeting vs. South Alabama was in Mobile, Ala. where TXST won it in four sets. Fitzgerald had 13 kills and three blocks, DeWalt had 49 assists and seven digs, and Dinwiddie had 14 digs. The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 22, 2017, where USA won 3-0.   
 
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