SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State fell short in a 3-1 decision (20-25, 28-26, 21-25, 19-25) against TCU Thursday afternoon at Strahan Arena.

The Bobcats (27-8, 15-1 Sun Belt) are now on a five-match losing streak entering their final match of the weekend at Houston. Although TXST held the Horned Frogs (2-14, 1-11 Big 12) to a .194 hitting percentage, the team struggled offensively with a .118 hitting percentage despite registering more kills (54-48), and assists (51-47) than its opponent. TCU did win the battle in aces (5-3) and blocks (13-7) to even the season series, 1-1.

Junior outside hitter Kenedi Rutherford led the Bobcats with 13 kills (.296), marking her first match in double figures since the semifinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against Troy (Nov. 21, 2020). Sophomore outside hitter Caitlan Buettner followed with 12 kills and added five digs and one solo block, and her classmate and counterpart Courtney Heiser registered a season-high 11 kills (.214) and seven digs. Junior setter Emily DeWalt paced the team with 31 assists and had six digs, two blocks, and two kills. Freshman setter Ryann Torres also logged a season-high 13 assists and had five digs and one ace. Junior libero Kayla Granado had a match-high 19 digs.

Sophomore middle blocker Mykayla Myers led TCU with 13 kills on 22 swings and two errors (.500) and added four blocks, while junior middle Katie Clark turned in 12 kills and a match-high nine blocks, including three solo blocks. Sophomore setter McKenzie Nichols finished with 43 assists, five digs, and three blocks, and sophomore outside hitter Julia Adams contributed eight kills, five blocks, and a match-high three aces. The Horned Frogs had three players reach double-figure digs, beginning with freshman libero Kate Georgiades (18), senior defensive specialist Dani Dennison (13), and junior DS Ashley Wehrstein (10).

Set 1
After feeling each other out in the early stages of the set, the Horned Frogs went on a 7-0 run to stretch their lead to 16-10. Although the Bobcats responded with a 3-0 run, that would be the closest they would get as TCU won the frame 25-20. The Bobcats hit .226 in the set and had one block. Rutherford led the Bobcats with six kills. 

Set 2
Texas State scored the first three points to set the momentum and held a 15-14 lead at the media timeout thanks to another 3-0 run. Both teams exchanged points to 18-17 with Texas State leading, but TCU scored three-in-a-row to take a 20-18 advantage and forced a Bobcat timeout. A quick two points for the home team highlighted by a block from junior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald and junior middle blocker Jillian Slaughter tied the set at 20 and the clubs exchanged points and runs to a 26-26 tie. The Bobcats claimed the final two points courtesy of consecutive attacking errors from the Horned Frogs. The set featured 15 ties and six lead changes, and Rutherford paced the team again with six kills followed by Buettner's five kills.   

Set 3
TCU used a 4-0 run to buffer a 7-2 lead before TXST used its first timeout of the set. The Bobcats responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set at eight, but the Horned Frogs went on another 3-0 run for an 11-8 advantage. The Horned Frogs created some space with a 5-1 burst, but the Cats stuck around and later used a 5-2 scoring margin to make it a one-point set, 19-18. The visiting team closed the set strong, however, and scored six of the final nine points to win the frame 25-21. 

Set 4
It was another tight stanza that saw seven ties but just two lead changes. The Bobcats was the first to 15 with a slight 15-14 edge, but after trading scores, TCU rallied off four unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead. The Bobcats mustered two more points, but the visiting team closed the set on a 5-0 run to win the set 25-19.

UP NEXT
Texas State will travel and take on Houston at 6:30 p.m. at the Fertitta Center in Houston.

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