SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team dropped its weekend finale to Northern Iowa by the count of 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-13).
 
TXST struggled offensively with a .062 hitting percentage while UNI hit .297. Although the Bobcats aced the Panthers three times, the visiting team won the battle in assists (44-29) and blocks (8-2).
 
"We never got in a rhythm on offense," said head coach Karen Chisum. "We had a competitive first set, but you just cannot hit .062 and expect to win. Tonight was one of those nights that was not meant to be. Northern Iowa is a very good and fundamentally sound group and they took advantage of our miscues."
 
No player on the Bobcats (1-2) registered double figure kills. Junior outside Kenedi Rutherford had a team-high five kills while senior outside Cheyenne Huskey, sophomore middle Jillian Slaughter, and a pair of freshmen in Caitlan Buettner and Tessa Marshall all finished with four kills. Senior defensive specialist Micah Dinwiddie paced the team with 14 digs and Buettner had 10 digs.
 
UNI (2-1) was led by junior middle hitter Kate Busswitz's 13 kills on 22 attacks with just one error (.545). sophomore outside hitter was just as impressive with a .529 hitting percentage behind 12 kills and had a match-high four blocks, including two solos. Senior outside Karlie Taylor finished with 11 kills and eight digs to round out the top hitters for the Panthers. Senior libero Abbi Staack registered 23 digs, while senior Rachel Koop had 12 digs.  
 
Set 1
Northern Iowa took an early 6-2 lead until Texas State scored four unanswered points to knot the scoreboard at six. After three ties, the Panthers went on a 4-0 run and forced a Bobcat timeout as they led the home team 13-9. The Maroon and Gold clawed their way back and gained their first lead of the night at 17-16 thanks to a 4-0 run highlighted by back-to-back kills from Slaughter, but as the two teams tussled in the later portion of the match, the Panthers came out on top 25-23 with back-to-back kills.
 
Set 2
The Panther never trailed in set two as they opened on an 8-2 run. UNI led by as many as 10 in the set and although TXST put together a 4-0 run to steal some momentum, the visiting team kept steady and won the set, 25-19.
  
Set 3
After four early ties, Northern Iowa used a massive 13-5 run to take a 17-9 lead. The Bobcats scored a quick two points, but the Panthers closed out the set on an 8-2 run to end the match.
 
The Bobcats have a quick turnaround as they return to Strahan Arena Tuesday at 6 p.m. to face a motivated Rice team who are also receiving six votes in the AVCA Coaches' Poll.
 
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