FOLEY, Ala. — For the fifth-straight season, the Texas State volleyball program will play for a Sun Belt Conference tournament championship following a three-set win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday night.
The Bobcats (20-11, 14-2) have won the last three consecutive conference tournaments and made a finals appearance in 2017, too. Since dropping that four-set conference tournament finals match to Coastal Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, the Bobcats have reeled off 10 consecutive wins in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Sunday's conference tournament championship match against the Sun Belt Conference regular-season champions South Alabama will mark the first time the two volleyball programs have met during the conference tournament since the Bobcats won in three sets on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020.
In three all-time meetings with South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, Texas State has won nine of a 10 sets against the Jaguars.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET
"Obviously, (Coastal Carolina) keyed on Tyeranee (Scott) and Janell (Fitzgerald) tonight, so that opened some things up for our outside (hitters). I thought Emily (DeWalt) did a good job of seeing that and going away from those two but trying to keep them in there a little bit, but I thought our outsides stepped up and played really well tonight."
FROM JUNIOR OUTSIDE HITTER CAITLAN BUETTNER
"For tonight, working for me was the line shot. Emily (DeWalt) did a really good job of giving me a high ball right past the blockers, so I was able to swing line and mix it up a few times. Also, I thought our defense was able to get the ball up, so I could swing and that really helped a lot."
FROM GRADUATE TRANSFER OUTSIDE HITTER JADA GARDNER
"I was just excited (coming into tonight's match) because I'm just able to play volleyball and we are close to a championship match. I just wanted to come in tonight and play free. I wanted to play my game and not really overthink it and just have fun, because I know that's when I play the best."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 25, Coastal Carolina 22
- 2nd | Texas State 25, Coastal Carolina 16
- 3rd | Texas State 26, Coastal Carolina 24
MATCH NOTES
- For the fourth time this season, junior outside hitter Caitlan Buettner finished a Texas State volleyball match with 13 kills after being credited with as many on 23 attacks Saturday night. Buettner also had 13-kill performances against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTEP and Georgia Southern. The 13-kill total was one off Buettner's season high of 14 set against App State on Oct. 23, 2021.
- Brooke Johnson, a fifth-year defensive specialist for the Bobcats, was credited with her first kill of the season against Coastal Carolina on Saturday night. It was Johnson's first kill since Oct. 27, 2019, when the Bobcats played in a five-set match at Appalachian State. Johnson now has 14 kills for her career.
- After the matches' first set had 10 ties and one lead change, the remaining two sets had a combined six ties and four lead changes.
UP NEXT
- Texas State will now close out the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 21 when the Bobcats play South Alabama for the tournament championship at 1:00 p.m. CT. The two volleyball programs met earlier this season with the Jaguars winning, 3-0, on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.
- For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasStateVball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
