SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team (10-6, 2-0) will begin an important stretch that features five matches over a nine-day span with three matches being on the road. The journey starts at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Arkansas State (9-5, 0-2) at the First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark., and the Bobcats will close the weekend with a 6:30 p.m. serve Oct. 5 at Little Rock (2-12, 0-2) at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Watch vs. Arkansas State – Facebook.com/AStateVB/
Live Stats vs. Arkansas State - Statbroadcast
Watch vs. Little Rock – lrtrojans.com
Live Stats vs. Little Rock - Statbroadcast
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• After entering Sun Belt Conference play at No. 4 in the west division, Texas State rose to No. 1 thanks to a pair of victories vs. Louisiana (3-1) and ULM (3-0). The Bobcats are one of five programs to start conference play 2-0 and the only team to do so in the west division. The others are Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, South Alabama and Troy.
• The Bobcats have won seven of their last eight matches and have swept their opponent in three of the last four wins.
• Overall in 2019, the Bobcats hit .190 while their opponents hit .197, both rank No. 8 in the league. However, the Maroon and Gold are trending upward after hitting .307 with 15.86 kills per set and defensively averaging 19.57 digs per set in Sun Belt play. All marks lead the league.  
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey was tabbed as the conference's offensive player of the week for the second time in her career. Huskey averaged 4.00 kills per set in a 2-1 week for the Bobcats and averaged five kills per set in the two conference matches. The 6-2 Columbus, Texas native leads the team with 3.36 kills per set (No. 6 in the Sun Belt) and 0.45 aces per set (No. 5 in the Sun Belt; 25 total). She also contributes 2.21 digs per set and has 19 total blocks.
• Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald is second on the team with 2.61 kills per set and has 30 total blocks, while junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott paces the team in hitting percentage with a .333 clip (No. 4 in the Sun Belt) behind 86 kills and has 46 blocks, including six solos. Scott's 1.00 blocks per set are tied at No. 3 in the league.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.89 assists set which sits No. 4 in the conference and matches junior libero Brooke Johnson for a team-high 2.45 digs per set. DeWalt also has 36 kills, 18 blocks and 15 aces this year, and is coming off a weekend where she recorded her fifth and sixth double-double of the season.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats begins with sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter who has 80 kills, 37 blocks, and three aces, and freshman outside Courtney Heiser who turns in 2.08 kills per set. Senior DS Micah Dinwiddie has 2.30 digs per set to go along with 10 aces. Dinwiddie has 1,609 career digs and is 38 digs shy from becoming the program's all-time leader.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE
• Arkansas State entered Sun Belt action with a 9-3 overall record but went 0-2 last weekend to move to 9-5, suffering losses to Troy and South Alabama in four sets. The Bobcats will serve as the Red Wolves conference home-opening match.  
• In the 2019 campaign, A-State ranks No. 6 in the league with a .208 hitting percentage and holds opponents to a .158 attacking percentage which sits at No. 2. The Red Wolves did surrender a .319 opponent hitting percentage last weekend to open league competition.
• All-in-all, Arkansas State ranks towards the top of the Sun Belt in all statistical measures including a conference-leading 2.15 blocks per set. They also average 13.15 kills (No. 2), 11.83 assists (No. 3), 15.46 digs (No. 3) and 1.56 aces per set (No. 5).
• Junior outside hitter Peyton Uhlenhake leads the team with 3.14 kills per set (No. 9 in the Sun Belt) and 19 total aces (No. 7 in the Sun Belt). Uhlenhake also has 2.62 digs per set, 16 assists, and seven blocks.
• Junior setter Avery Breaux was selected to the all-tournament team after stringing together consecutive double-double performances to conclude the weekend. Breaux leads the offense with 5.95 assists per set and has 3.02 digs per set, 13 total kills, and eight aces. Sophomore outside hitter Macy Putt follows with 2.80 kills per set and sophomore middle blocker Timber Terrell rounds out the Red Wolves' top hitter with 2.58 kills on average. Putt has 18 blocks and 10 aces on the year, and Timber adds 38 blocks, including seven solo blocks.
• Sophomore setter Julianna Cramer and freshman setter Malgorz Andersohn provide a good 1-2 punch at the setter position with Cramer averaging 5.54 assists and Andersohn at 4.53 assists per set. Cramer also adds 2.31 digs, 19 kills and six aces to her season stats, and Andersohn has 12 aces and 2.25 digs per set.
• Sophomore DS Hannah Cox leads the defense with 4.20 digs per set and has 18 aces, the second-highest total on the team, and freshman right side Kendahl Davenport has collected 48 total blocks to lead the team (12 solo blocks) and adds 43 kills in 2019.
 
SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK
• Little Rock is currently on a five-match losing streak after dropping a pair of Sun Belt Conference decisions at Troy (3-0) and South Alabama (3-1). The Trojans will face UT Arlington Oct. 4 before battling with the Bobcats Oct. 5.
• The Trojans rank No. 11 in the league in blocks (1.58/set) and digs (11.88/set), but sits last in hitting percentage (.116), opponent hitting percentage (.246), aces (1.00/set), assists (8.35/set) and kills (8.69/set).
• Senior middle hitter Carol Barbosa leads the way for LR with 3.29 kills per set and .242 hitting percentage. She also has 2.05 digs per set, 22 blocks, and seven aces.
• LR has a two-setter system featuring sophomore Nathalia Vigineski (4.64 assists/set) and freshman Alyssa Nayar (3.69 assists/set). Vigineski has 11 kills on the year along with nine aces and five digs, while Nayar has 14 kills, a team-high 10 aces, and adds six blocks this season.
• Senior libero Diana Giordani leads the team with 3.96 digs per set and has 45 assists and seven aces, while both freshmen outside Janae Thurston and middle Madison Nichols both lead the team with 28 blocks. Thurston has logged 92 kills and Nichols has 32 kills.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Bobcats have a combined 18-14 record vs. Arkansas State and Little Rock.
• Texas State is locked in a 9-9 all-time series record vs. Arkansas State and boast a 7-3 record in the last 10 meetings. The Red Wolves defeated the Bobcats in five sets in the last meeting in Jonesboro, Ark. Nov. 2, 2018.
• Texas State leads Little Rock 9-5 all-time and are currently on a five-match winning streak. Prior to defeating the Trojans 3-1 in the semifinals of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships, the Bobcats topped LR in five sets at the Jack Stephens Center Nov. 3, 2018.
 
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