LAFAYETTE, La. – The winning streak comes to an end as Texas State (19-8, 11-2 Sun Belt) falls on the road to Louisiana (10-15, 6-6 Sun Belt) in five sets (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 10-15) Sunday afternoon at Earl K. Long Gym.
 
Sunday's loss ends the Bobcats' nine-match winning streak this season and five-match winning streak in head-to-head meetings vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. The Bobcats are now 18-2 vs. Louisiana all-time. The last loss TXST encountered vs. La. dates back to Oct. 28, 2017, when the Bobcats loss in five sets at Earl K. Long Gym.  
 
"We were beaten by a team that wanted it more than we did today," said head coach Karen Chisum. "We lost the passing and serving game which we do not do often. But as I told the kids, the season is not over. It is a wake-up call and keep your heads up. We have three more games coming at home and we are still in first place right now. We just need to respond, get back to work, and take care of business."
 
TXST held the advantage in kills (62-61), assists (59-56), digs (79-73) and blocks (10-7) yet could not pull out the victory. Louisiana was a tad bit more efficient as they outhit the reigning champions .241-.235 but did ace their opponent eight times to the Bobcats' two.  
 
Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey matched her season-high 21 kills, a feat previously done in the first match vs. Louisiana this season (Sept. 27). Huskey also finished with nine kills, three blocks, and one ace. Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald logged her fifth consecutive match with double figures in the kill department, finishing with 16 to go along with four digs and two blocks. The freshman class had a strong outing Sunday starting with outside hitter Caitlan Buettner who turned in a career-high 11 kills to round out the top hitters, and middle blocker Tessa Marshall who had a career-night with highs of six blocks (Led all players) and eight kills. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt registered her 10th double-double this season with 48 assists and 23 digs. She also had two kills and one block. In addition to DeWalt, three players finished with 10 or more digs including sophomore defensive specialists Kayla Granado (13), junior libero Brooke Johnson (10), and senior DS Micah Dinwiddie (10) who also had one ace.    
 
Louisiana's junior outside hitter Hali Wisnoskie led all players with 25 kills (.333) and was followed by freshman right side hitter Celeste Darling's 13 kills (.419). Sophomore outside Kelsey Bennett filled the stat sheet with a double-double performance that featured 10 kills, 17 digs, a team-high four blocks. She also had three digs and two aces. Junior setter Avery Breaux finished with 47 assists, nine digs, four kills and a match-high four aces, and junior libero Hannah Ramirez had a match-high 24 digs.
 
Set 1
The Bobcats used a 6-0 scoring run behind three blocks to take a 7-1 lead, forcing the Ragin' Cajuns to burn their first timeout of the match. Louisiana's 3-0 burst sparked a 12-7 run to bring the count to 15-13, but Texas State responded with a 3-0 run of its own and kept La. at bay, winning the opening set 25-20.
 
Set 2
Texas State scored first but Louisiana took the lead at 7-6 behind a 5-1 run and forced the visiting team to take their first timeout of the match with a 10-9 advantage. The Ragin' Cajuns built a 17-13 margin, but the Bobcats continue to plow away and eventually tied the stanza at 21. Louisiana would close the set, however, on a 4-1 run to win the set 25-22 evening the match 1-1.  
 
Set 3
The Bobcats came out the intermission firing on all cylinders and led the Ragin' Cajuns 7-2 before the home team called their first timeout, and later extended the lead to 15-9 forcing Louisiana to use its final timeout of the set. The Ragin' Cajuns fought back and pulled within three points at 17-14, but the Bobcats created enough separation with a late 4-0 scoring run and won the set 25-20.
 
Set 4
The Ragin' Cajuns dominated the fourth set with a 25-17 win to force a fifth set. With the score knotted at 11, Louisiana went on a 4-1 run to bring the score to 15-12 and forced Texas State to call timeout. It did not help, however, as the Ragin' Cajuns used another 4-2 burst to extend the lead 19-14, pressuring the Bobcats to use their final timeout. Ultimately La. closed the set on a 6-3 run to tie the match once more.
 
Set 5
Louisiana jumped out to a 7-1 lead after scoring six unanswered points and the teams switched sides with the Ragin' Cajuns leading 8-2. Texas State scored the first point after the switch and used a 5-1 run to pull within four points at 13-9. The mountain was too high to climb, however, as Louisiana stole the match with a 15-10 victory.
 
The Bobcats will play their remaining three regular-season games at home in Strahan Arena beginning with a pair of matches next weekend vs. Little Rock (Nov. 8) and Arkansas State (Nov. 9). 
 
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