SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team will host its annual Creeds & Crests Classic tournament Sept. 19-21 at Strahan Arena to conclude the non-conference tournament portion of the 2019 schedule. The Bobcats (5-5) open the tournament vs. I-35 rival UTSA (6-4) at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 before hosting George Washington (5-5) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 20, and Sam Houston State (3-6) at 2 p.m. Sept. 21.   
 
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SETTING THE SCENE
• Texas State returns home after a successful 4-2 six-match road trip with a recent 2-1 outing at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas. After falling to A&M in four sets, TXST defeated UT Rio Grande Valley 3-1 and swept Northwestern State to move to 5-5 on the year.
• The win vs. Northwestern State was No. 900 for head coach Karen Chisum (900-555-3) who is the seventh coach in NCAA Division I volleyball to reach the 900-win plateau and is the fifth Division I coach to do it all at one program. Chisum ranks No. 3 among active NCAA Division I volleyball coaches in wins and No. 13 all-time across all NCAA Divisions.  
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey was named to the Texas A&M All-Tournament Team. Huskey totaled 41 kills in 11 sets (3.73 kills per set) and had four aces to lead the Bobcats in addition to 2.45 digs per set and four total blocks. The Columbus, Texas native concluded the tournament with her 10th and 11th career double-doubles. Huskey paces the team with 3.22 kills per set and has a team-best 14 aces in 2019.
• Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald is returning to form after missing some early contests. She now averages 2.59 kills per set and has a total of 20 blocks.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt directs the offense with 9.29 assists per set and has 2.26 digs per set, 22 kills, 11 blocks and eight service aces this year. Senior defensive specialist Micah Dinwiddie leads the team with 2.44 digs per set and has eight aces, while junior libero Brooke Johnson has 2.34 digs per set with five aces.
• Other key contributors for the Bobcats are middle blockers junior Tyeranee Scott and sophomore Jillian Slaughter. Scott leads the Bobcats with 26 solo blocks (two solos) and adds 38 kills, and Slaughter ranks No. 3 on the team with 56 total kills and has 21 total blocks.
 
SCOUTING UTSA
• UTSA is 6-4 overall after sweeping Incarnate Word Tuesday night and are currently on a four-match winning streak. The Roadrunners swept their way through the Tulsa Tournament last weekend with wins over SIU Edwardsville (3-1), Tulsa (3-1), and Houston (3-2).
• The Roadrunners averages 13.13 kills per set on a .227 hitting percentage, 12.16 assists, 15.18 digs, 1.84 aces, and 1.42 blocks per set.
• UTSA is led by senior outside hitter Brianna McCulloch with 3.50 kills on average and adds 12 blocks to her season totals. Sophomore outside Hanna Lopez follows with 101 total kills (3.06 per set) and has six aces and six blocks.
• Freshman setter Courtney Walters averages a team-high 6.73 assists per set and is followed by sophomore setter Mia Perales' 5.30 assists per set. Senior defensive specialist Emily Ramirez paces the team with 4.03 digs per set and 22 aces, and sophomore middle hitter Madeline McKay leads the team at the net with 26 blocks.
• The Roadrunners will open the Creeds & Crests Classic with a 6:30 p.m. serve vs. Texas State Sept. 19. They will then face Sam Houston State at 5 p.m. Sept. 20 and conclude the classic with an 11 a.m. match vs. George Washington Sept. 21.
 
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
• George Washington split its first 10 matches of the season and are fresh off of a 3-1 weekend that includes a 2-1 mark at the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C.  where they swept Norfolk State, fell to East Carolina in three sets, and bounced back with another sweep vs. USC Upstate. Most recently, the Colonials swept Albany (N.Y.) in a single match at home.
• All five of the Buff & Blue victories this season have been sweeps. GW has a .155 hitting percentage and average 11.29 kills per set. They also register 14.65 digs per set, 10.09 assists per set, 2.43 blocks per set, and 1.62 aces per set.
• Senior outside hitter Skylar Iott is the team leader with 3.39 kills per set and averages 2.36 digs per set, totals 13 blocks (four solos), 10 aces and six assists. Graduate student Paty Valle has 2.16kills per set and leads the team with 32 total blocks and 16 aces.
• Senior setter Jaimeson Lee has 8.74 assists per set, 2.62 digs per set, 22 blocks, 22 kills, and nine aces. Sophomore libero Bella Bowman leads the team with 3.74 digs per set and has a total of 18 assists and seven aces.
• GW will play in two matches on Friday, Sept. 20, beginning with an 11 a.m. match vs. Sam Houston State before facing Texas State at 7 p.m. They will also challenge UTSA to close the weekend at 11 a.m. Sept. 20.
 
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE
• Sam Houston State comes to San Marcos with a 3-6 record and have won just two of its last five matches.
• The Bearkats competed at the Gamecock Classic in Jacksonville, Ala. last weekend where they went 1-2. After falling to tournament host Jacksonville State in four sets and Mississippi State in three, SHSU defeated Stetson 3-1.
• The team as a whole hit .220 on the season while their opponents have a .213 hitting percentage. The Bearkats average 13.54 kills, 12.51 assists, 14.20 digs, 1,61 blocks and 1.03 aces per set.     
• Junior outside hitter Ashley Lewis paces the team with 3.51 kills per set, and has eight aces. Lewis has also tallied 2.31 digs per set, 16 total blocks and nine total assists. Sophomore outside Breanne Chausse is three kills shy of the century mark and hits .255, averaging 2.77 kills per set. Chausse also has 16 blocks.
• Setters junior Madilyn Miles and freshman Morgan Janda average 5.52 and 5.31 assists per set, respectively. Janda has 11 kills and matches a team-high eight aces.
• Senior libero Addison Miller has a team-best 4.17 digs per set and is followed by senior DS Ashleigh Traylor's 2.46 digs per set. Traylor also has eight service aces.
• SHSU will challenge George Washington (11 a.m.) and UTSA (5 p.m.) on Sept. 20 before taking on Texas State at 2 p.m. on Sept. 21 to conclude the classic.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Bobcats hold a 58-14 advantage over UTSA and is 7-3 in the last 10 head-to-head matches. TXST have won back-to-back consecutive matches after sweeping the Roadrunners in last year's season series (2-0).
• Texas State is 58-48-1 all-time vs. Sam Houston State and are 9-1 in the last 10 matchups, including a current eight-match winning streak.
• This weekend will be the first match between Texas State and George Washington in the program's history.
 
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