SAN MARCOS, Texas – A battle between reigning conference regular-season and tournament champions will take place when the Texas State volleyball team and Rice square off for a rematch of the 2018 NCAA Tournament first round matchup at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 inside Strahan Arena.
 
The two clubs meet for the 36th time in what will be an intense match with the Owls (2-0) looking to avenge back-to-back postseason defeats at the hands of the Bobcats (1-2). Meanwhile, the Maroon and Gold are hoping to bounce back from opening weekend and end their two-match skid. Both teams began 2019 receiving six votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
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SETTING THE SCENE
• After picking up a 3-1 win vs. Liberty to open the 2019 campaign, Texas State's eight-match home winning streak ended with a 3-1 loss to No. 14 USC and a 3-0 loss to Northern Iowa.
• Texas State will welcome a motivated Rice team who went 2-0 in its opening weekend.
• The Bobcats hold an 18-17-1 all-time series record vs. the Owls and has won six of the last seven meetings, dating back to 1998. The Bobcats have eliminated the Owls from postseason play in consecutive seasons. The Bobcats topped Rice 3-0 in the first round of the NIVC Tournament in 2017 and defeated them in four sets last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• TXST is 12-3 in its last 15 home matches and welcomed 4,382 fans to Strahan Arena last weekend, including a crowd of 2,583 fans at the TXST vs. No. 14 USC match. That attendance ranks No. 4 all-time for the volleyball program.
• Texas State head coach Karen Chisum is in her 40th season at the helm of the program and is four wins shy from becoming the seventh coach in NCAA Division I volleyball to win 900 matches (896-552-3).
• Chisum ranks No. 3 among active NCAA Division I volleyball coaches in wins and No. 13 all-time across all NCAA Divisions.  
 
SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
• Texas State cruised to victory vs. Liberty and had No. 14 USC on the ropes after stealing set one, 28-26. However, despite TXST having USC down seven points late in the fourth set, the Women of Troy went on to win the next three sets to conclude the match. The Bobcats was then swept by Northern Iowa who is receiving 13 votes in the initial AVCA Coaches' Poll.
• Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey is the team leader with 3.00 kills per set and filled up the stats sheet with 15 digs, three blocks, two aces, and a block.
• TXST had a number of newcomers who stepped up and gained important playing time early in the season. Freshman outside hitter Courtney Heiser began her collegiate debut with back-to-back double-doubles including a 13-kill, 10-dig performance vs. Liberty, and a 10-kill, 11-dig outing vs. No. 14 USC.
• Sophomore outside Kenedi Rutherford put down 20 kills on the weekend (1.2 per set) and totaled seven blocks, while freshman middle Allie Smylie led the team with nine total blocks.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt ranks No. 10 in the league with 7.82 assists per set. The 2019 Preseason Setter of the Year also tallied 24 digs, seven kills, four aces, and a block.  
 
SCOUTING RICE
• The Owls, who are also receiving six votes in the initial AVCA Coaches' Poll, made quite the statement in their first weekend of action. Rice downed tournament host Ole Miss at the Rebel Invitational and then swept Central Florida who entered the season receiving 45 votes.
• Junior outisde Nicole Lennon is the club's top returner, averaging 5.83 kills per set. She has a .284 hitting percentage and had 26 digs in six sets. Lennon was recognized to the 2018 AVCA Honorable Mention All-America Team.
• Sophomore middle Anota Adekunel is the team leader with a .302 hitting percentage behind 18 kills on 43 swings with just five errors. She also had six blocks last weekend. Adekunel is the C-USA 2018 Tournament MVP, was selected to the CUSA All-Conference Second Team and the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
• Senior middle Grace Morgan leads the Owls with 11 blocks (1.81/set) and three aces to go along with her .233 hitting percentage. Entering 2019, Morgan is the all-time leader with a .351 hitting percentage and ranked second in the C-USA a season ago with 1.09 blocks per set.
 
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