LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Texas State volleyball team (11-7, 3-1 Sun Belt) salvaged the weekend with a split after taking care of Little Rock (2-14, 0-4 Sun Belt) in straight sets (25-8, 25-12, 25-18) Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
"Definitely a different level of play tonight for us," said head coach Karen Chisum. "Little Rock has had several key injuries, but it was good that we played at a high level and did not let up. I was able to get some non-starters in there in the third set and I was pleased with their performances. It was great to get them some experience."
 
The Bobcats were clicking on all cylinders and never trailed in the match. Offensively, they finished the night with a .337 clip with 37 kills on 83 swings and nine errors, and recorded 10 aces, marking the third time this season the team has logged 10 or more in a match. On the defensive side, the Bobcats had 40 digs, seven blocks and held the Trojans to a .075 attacking percentage. Little Rock is the first opponent this season to finish a match vs. Texas State with no aces. The Bobcats improve to 10-5 in the all-time series and extend their win streak to six vs. Little Rock.
 
Texas State was led by a pair of outside hitters in sophomore Janell Fitzgerald and freshman Lauren Teske who each collected eight kills. Fitzgerald had an efficient night with a .471 clip and had 17 errorless swings, while Teske added three blocks. Senior outside Cheyenne Huskey had six kills and led the team with four aces and four blocks in two sets. Sophomore Emily DeWalt turned in her fourth straight double-double performance with a team-best 29 assists and 11 digs, while adding a pair of aces.
 
LR's senior middle hitter Carol Barbosa led all players with 12 kills and sophomore outside Laura Jansen followed with six. Sophomore setter Nathalia Vigineski and freshman setter Alyssa Nayar split 20 assists evenly, freshmen middle blockers Madison Nichols and Annelise Samson led the team with two blocks each, and senior libero Diana Giordani had a match-high 12 digs in the loss.
 
Set 1
Texas State got to work early with a 6-2 lead and kept their foot on the gas. They led by as many as 12 points at 18-6 before Little Rock called their final timeout of the set. The Bobcats continued to grow their lead  and coasted to a 25-8 victory hitting .357 in the frame behind 11 kills on 28 attacks and just one error. They also registered three blocks and held the Trojans to a -.121 hitting percentage.
  
Set 2
Another fast start saw the Bobcats leading the Trojans 12-5 by the first break in action and moments later the visiting team found themselves up double-digits at 16-6. Little Rock got as close as eight points at 19-11, but a 4-0 run highlighted by three consecutive aces from Huskey brought the count to 23-11. The Bobcats won the second set 25-12.
 
Set 3
The Maroon and Gold got off to another quick start and held a 7-0 lead to begin the final stanza of the night. Little Rock fought tough and put together an 8-3 run, including a 5-0 burst to trim the deficit to 15-12 and forced Texas State to use its first timeout of the night. Texas State immediately responded by outscoring LR 5-1 capped off by back-to-back aces from sophomore DS Kaylie Koenen to take a 20-13 lead. The Bobcats went on to win the set 25-18.
 
Texas State heads back to the Lone Star State and will have a mid-week showdown vs. UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
 
Stay updated on everything Texas State volleyball by following the team on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.