SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior setter Emily DeWalt and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Teske each logged double-doubles as they powered Texas State (4-1) past Houston Baptist (1-4) in straight sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) Friday night at Strahan Arena.
 
"I thought we improved our serving and floor defense tonight," said head coach Sean Huiet. "Kayla [Granado] and [Kayla] Tello played really well in the back row. I am proud of how we competed at times, but also think that we have a lot to improve on."
 
It was Teske's first career double-double as she paced the team with a season-high 10 kills and turned in a career-high 12 digs. DeWalt strung together her third consecutive double-double this season with 36 assists and 10 digs. She also had four kills and a block in the win. Senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott finished the night with nine kills and had a team-high .368 hitting percentage, and junior libero Kayla Granado finished with 15 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Kayla Tello matched a career-best with 12 digs and two aces. Her aces were also a match-high.
 
HBU's junior outside hitter Kelly Colwell had a double-double as well with 13 kills and 13 digs, and sophomore setter Ellie Wipf was one dig shy of a double-dip with her 26 assists and nine digs. Senior outside Mikayla Vivens ended the match with nine kills and 15 digs, while sophomore libero Marisabel Torres-Rivera had a match-high 17 digs. Junior middle blocker Jada Allen also led all players with five total blocks.
 
Although Texas State hit just .184 on the night, they held Houston Baptist to a .087 hitting percentage which is a new opponent season-low. Defensively, the Huskies edged the Bobcats in digs (65-64) and blocks (7-4), but the home team held the advantage in kills (43-33), assists (41), and aces (5-0). It was the first time this season that the Bobcats held their opponent to zero aces.
 
The Bobcats lead the all-time series vs. Houston Baptist, 3-1.
 
Set 1
Texas State led for the entire set and won by a 25-18 count. The home team strung together a few runs to pull away, including a 4-0 burst that put them ahead 22-16 and forced a Huskies' timeout. The Bobcats had a solid offensive attack as they hit .382 in the frame with 14 kills on 34 swings and just one error. Scott led the way with five kills.
 
Set 2
The Bobcats jumped out to a 6-2 lead and the Huskies called their first timeout with the score 8-3. HBU scored the following two points out of the break, but TXST responded with a 4-0 run highlighted by a pair of aces by Tello. Texas State grew their margin to 15-6 and Houston Baptist signaled for its final timeout of the set. Although the Bobcats lead grew as large as 10 points, HBU fought back by scoring 12 of the next 20 points, including a 4-0 run that forced a Bobcat timeout at 23-18. The Maroon and Gold escaped the comeback however, with kills from Teske and Slaughter to win the set 25-20. DeWalt spread the ball out with five players registering 10 kills, but the home team served well and tallied four aces in the set.
 
Set 3
Houston Baptist came out firing by taking a 5-0 lead and pressured Texas State to burn an early timeout. The Bobcats answered with a massive 14-7 run, highlighted by a 6-0 margin, making the score 14-12, Bobcats. TXST did not relinquish the lead again as they stormed to a 25-21 victory to end the match. Teske shined in the frame with six kills and six digs. To cap off the night.
 
UP NEXT
Texas State will conclude the weekend with a 11 a.m. match against Houston Baptist at Strahan Arena before entering Sun Belt Conference play.
 
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