SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State's head volleyball coach Karen Chism has released the schedule for the upcoming 2019 season.
 
The Bobcats' schedule features 30 total matches with 16 of them at Strahan Arena, 10 on the road and four on neutral-site courts.
 
Four programs that competed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament highlight the 2019 schedule, including Baylor, Northern Iowa, Rice and USC.
 
"My philosophy is that if you don't play the best, you don't get to be the best and as always, I put together a very competitive nonconference schedule," coach Chisum said. "Early in the season, we will play USC, Northern Iowa, UCLA, Long Beach State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Baylor and Rice, all top 50 programs. What's exciting is having USC along with Northern Iowa and Rice at home to open the season. We are going to draw some really nice crowds which will be good for our fan base."
 
The 2019 campaign will begin with home matches vs. Liberty and USC on Aug. 30, followed by a tilt with Northern Iowa (Aug. 31). The Women of Troy finished last season ranked No. 21, while the Panthers concluded the year receiving votes.
 
After squaring off with Rice (Sept. 3) in San Marcos, the Bobcats will compete in three consecutive tournaments, beginning with a trip to Long Beach, Calif. to participate in the Long Beach State Tournament Sept. 5-7. They will face Long Beach State, UCLA and Georgia in that order. Texas State will then head back to the Lone Star State and play Sept. 12-13 in College Station at the Texas A&M Tournament (Northwestern State, Texas A&M, UT-Rio Grande Valley) before hosting the annual Creeds & Crests Classic Sept. 19-21, featuring George Washington, Sam Houston State and I-35 rival UTSA.
 
The maroon and gold will conclude the nonconference portion of the schedule with a trip to Baylor (Sept. 24) before their Sun Belt Conference home opener vs. Louisiana Sept. 27. On Nov. 21-24, the Bobcats will also host the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships.
 
"This is the year that we will have nine conference matches at home," Chisum said joyfully. "I am excited for what we got in here in terms of the schedule, although it is scary at the same time to be honest. Playing at home should be an advantage for us. I love playing in Strahan Arena and our fans love it too. The community has really embraced Bobcat volleyball. Now we as the coaching staff must keep the athletes focused and hungry. We have to be hungrier than last year in order to repeat."
 
Texas State recorded a historic season in 2018, finishing 27-7 overall and won its first Sun Belt regular season title behind a 15-1 conference mark. The Bobcats went on to win the Sun Belt tournament and won their first NCAA Tournament match in program history by defeating Rice in the first round before falling to No. 5 Texas.
 
The Bobcats will return 11 student-athletes from last year's team headlined by the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Setter and Freshman of the Year, sophomore Emily DeWalt. The club will also return All-Sun Belt first-team selections in senior Cheyenne Huskey and sophomore Janell Fitzgerald.
 
"We tell the athletes over and over you got to know that you have a target on your back bigger than ever," Chisum noted. "If you want to repeat you will have to earn it because it will be harder than last year. That's all there is to that. I think it is key that Cheyenne [Huskey], Micah [Dinwiddie] and Emily [DeWalt] are strong leaders this summer. We had a good spring overall and have matured. With a strong core returning, it will be up to them, especially our seniors, to keep the momentum moving forward in the summer and train each other to keep touching the ball."
 
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