SAN MARCOS, Texas – Wheels up for the Texas State volleyball team as they travel to California to compete in the Mizuno Classic Sept. 5-7 hosted by Long Beach State in Long Beach, Calif.
 
The Bobcats (1-3) will play in three matches with the first at 10 p.m. CT vs tournament host Long Beach State (2-1) Sept. 5. Next, TXST will play UCLA (0-2) at 7 p.m. CT Sept. 6 and will close out the weekend with a match vs. Georgia (2-1) at 6:30 p.m. CT Sept. 7. The match between Texas State and Long Beach State will be the only match streamed for the Bobcats this weekend on Beach Vision with Bryan Fenley on the call. Live stats will be made available for all matches.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live Stats vs. Long Beach State - Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. UCLA - Statbroadcast
Live Stats vs. Georgia - Statbroadcast
 
 
SETTING THE SCENE
• Texas State will play away from the confines of Strahan Arena for the first time in 2019.
• The Bobcats are currently nursing a three-match losing skid after Tuesday night's 3-0 loss to Rice who is receiving 24 votes in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll.
• Senior O1 Cheyenne Huskey led the Maroon and Gold with seven kills in the match, followed by junior outside Kenedi Rutherford who had six kills.
• Huskey paces the team with 2.86 kills per set (40 total kills) and has 1.14 digs per set with four blocks and two aces. Freshman outside hitter Courtney Heiser follows her with 2.14 kills per set and has 1.79 digs per set.
• Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt has 7.43 assists per set, 1.93 digs per set, and four service aces. Senior Micah Dinwiddie is the team leader with 2.31 digs per set and five aces, and freshman middle Allie Smylie leads the team with nine total blocks.
• 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 (896-553-3).
• Chisum ranks No. 3 among active NCAA Division I volleyball coaches in wins and No. 13 all-time across all NCAA Divisions.  
 
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE
• Long Beach State will welcome opponents to Walter Pyramid after turning in a 2-1 performance at the Georgia Tech Invitational last weekend.
• LBSU won two consecutive matches after taking a 3-1 loss to tournament host Georgia Tech. LBSU outlasted UNC Asheville in five sets and concluded its opening weekend by sweeping Southern University.
• The Beach is led by sophomore outside hitter Allison Martinez who has 4.25 kills per set seven blocks and two aces, and 2018 All-Big West Freshman Team selection Kashauna Williams who has 3.92 kills per set and six blocks.
• Senior middle blocker Yizhi Xue rounds out the top hitters with 3.08 kills per set and leads the team with six aces to go along with her 10 blocks. Freshman setter Tia Chavira quarterbacks the team with a team-high 82 assists. Although Chavira gets more touches, sophomore setter Carly Aigner-Swessesy leads the team with 13.00 assists per set.
• Senior defensive specialist Hailey Harward leads The Beach with 3.92 digs per set and senior middle Kjersti Norveel it the team's leader with 1.33 blocks per set.
• In its last showing, Long Beach State put on display its defensive prowess by holding Southern to a -.013 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, The Beach hit over .400 in the match, including the second and third sets where they hit over .500 in the frame.
• Texas State and Long Beach State will be meeting for the first time since 1972. The Beach leads the all-time series, 2-0.
 
SCOUTING UCLA
• UCLA, who received seven votes the initial AVCA Coaches' Poll, is looking for its first win of the season after being swept on opening weekend by both No. 17 Baylor and No. 2 Nebraska.
• The Bruins hit .079 in the two matches combined while their opponents had a .287 clip.
• Junior outside Mac May averages 3.50 kills per set with 21 kills on 61 attacks and 14 errors and both junior outside hitter Jenny Mosser and senior outside Savvy Simo each have nine kills. All three of them have played in all six sets. Simo leads the team with 2.67 digs per set.
• Sophomore setter Devon Chang has 7.75 assists per set to lead the team and matches Simo's two aces for a team-high. Freshman middle Tristin Savage has a team-best with five blocks.
• In the match vs. Nebraska, UCLA lost the battle in total kills (40-28), hitting percentage (.296-.083), assists (38-27), aces (7-3) and digs (54-42). The teams did tie, however, with six blocks.
• The last time Texas State and UCLA went head-to-head was in 2006 when the Bruins won the match 3-1. The first meeting was in 1972 with the Bruins winning that match as well.
• The Bruins will face Georgia at 8 p.m. CT on Sept. 5 before playing the Bobcats.
 
 SCOUTING GEORGIA
• The Georgia Bulldogs are 2-1 after its opening weekend and are on a two-match win streak after falling to tournament host Clemson in the season opener in straight sets. The Bulldogs first win of 2019 came in a come-from-behind thriller vs. Kennesaw State and then finished the day by sweeping Wofford.
• In three matches, Georgia has outhit its opponents .258-.253, have logged more assists per set (11.0-10.64) and have 23 aces compared to the oppositions 15. They do trail, however in digs per set (9.73-9.64) and blocks (2.18-2.0).
• Junior outside hitter Rachel Ritchie is the team's leader with 3.27 kills per set and has 1.18 digs per set. Freshman Kacie Evans is close by with 3.25 kills per set and is second on the team with 2.25 digs per set. Junior libero Kendall Glover is the team's leader in digs with 2.73 per set.
• Senior setter Meghan Donovan dishes out 9.27 assists per set and two Bulldogs in sophomore outside hitter Kayla Rivera and junior middle blocker Kianna Young pace the team with five aces apiece. Sophomore middle Sage Naves leads the club with 1.13 blocks per set.
• Georgia's first sweep of 2019 saw the Bulldogs hit .354, led by sophomore Mallory Hernandez who registered 12 kills. Junior Kaylah House and Ritchie each tallied six kills.
• Texas State is 0-3 all-time vs. Georgia with the last match coming in 2008. All three matches have been sweeps for the Bulldogs and all have been on neutral courts.
• After opening the tournament vs. UCLA, Georgia will take on Long Beach State at 9 p.m. CT on Sept. 6 before facing Texas State at 6:30 p.m. CT Sept. 7.
 
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