OMAHA, Neb. – Texas State picks up its second NCAA Tournament win in program history and advances to the second round after defeating Utah Valley 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22) Wednesday afternoon at the CHI Health Center.

The last NCAA Tournament victory for Texas State was on Nov. 29, 2018, when they defeated Rice in four sets. With the win, the Bobcats (31-8) reach 31 wins for the third time in program history (1972, 1985). The Bobcats registered a .238 hitting percentage with 59 kills and totaled 52 assists, five aces, nine blocks, and 63 digs. The Wolverines (14-6) concluded with a .154 attack percentage with 46 kills on 41 assists and 48 digs. UVU held the advantage over TXST with eight aces and 13 blocks.  

"I am a very proud coach today," said head coach Sean Huiet. I told my team we have been through a lot this season. Our goal since August is to make a run here. We did not know if the NCAA Tournament would happen or when, but we never wavered from our goal, so I am proud of my team and how they competed today."

Sophomore outside hitter Caitlan Buettner paced the Bobcats with 15 kills (.226) and added one block. Senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott totaled 14 kills on 22 attacks and one error (.591) and had five blocks, including one solo block. Junior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald rounded out the top hitters for the acting home team with 13 kills and contributed three blocks and one ace. Junior setter Emily DeWalt logged double-double No. 23 with 45 assists and 10 digs. She also had three kills (.214) and two blocks. Sophomore OH Courtney Heiser had a career-high two aces to lead the team and turned in eight kills, and junior libero Kayla Granado anchored the defense with a match-high 20 digs. 

Sophomore outside hitter Tori Dorius led the Wolverines with 14 kills and registered a .321 hitting percentage. She also had five blocks. Junior outside hitter Kazna Tanuvasa followed with 11 kills (.226). Senior setter Jaysa Funk Stratton had a team-high 19 assists and freshman setter Abbie Miller added 16 assists, a pair of aces, one kill, and one block. Freshman defensive specialist Bryton Bishop had a match-high four aces, and sophomore middle blocker Natalia Andrus led all players with six blocks. Senior defensive specialist Seren Jardine paced the defense with 14 digs. 

Set 1
Scott ignited an 8-1 run where she accounted for three kills and a solo block, putting the Bobcats ahead 10-4. Moments later, Texas State went on another 4-0 run to force a Wolverine timeout with the score at 15-8. Out of the break, both teams exchanged 3-1 runs, but UVU pulled within three points at 19-16 behind a 3-0 run to pressure a Bobcat timeout. Heiser sparked a 3-0 run for the Bobcats highlighted by a kill and an ace and went on to win the set, 25-21. Buettner and Fitzgerald paced the team with four kills each, while Heiser and Scott tallied three kills apiece. TXST held UVU to a .102 hitting percentage and had three total blocks in the frame.  

Set 2
The Wolverines scored first for the second consecutive set, but the Bobcats answered with five unanswered points that ballooned to a 12-3 run to build a 12-4 lead. The Bobcats continued to dominate and held a 20-10 lead behind a 6-1 burst as they cruised to a 25-16 win. Texas State hit .387 in the stanza led by Scott's perfect 5 kills on five errorless swings and two blocks.   

Set 3
UVU jumped out to a 6-2 advantage to force TXST to use its first timeout of the set. The Wolverines grew their lead to 14-8 although the Bobcats trimmed the lead to 15-12 behind a 4-1 run. The Wolverines scored the next three points to force the Bobcat's final timeout, but TXST fought back and pulled within two points at 21-19 behind a 4-1 run. After the Wolverines used a timeout, they scored four of the final five points to avoid the sweep with a 25-20 victory. Both teams hit over .300 with UVU holding the edge, .359-.303.   

Set 4
The Bobcats hit another gear and opened the set with a 6-0 lead, forcing the Wolverines to use an early timeout amid the run. Texas State stretched its lead to 16-8 as UVU burned its final timeout of the set. TXST held that eight-point lead on two more occasions, including at 19-11 when UVU reeled off a massive 10-3 run one-point set, 22-21. The Bobcats prevailed, however, by scoring three of the final four points to win 25-22. TXST never trailed in the set.

UP NEXT
Texas State will take on the No. 5 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 15 at the CHI Medical Center. Nebraska has five NCAA National Championships with their most recent in 2017. The Cornhuskers enter the tournament with a 14-2 record, all against Big 10 opponents. Although they are on a four-match winning streak, Nebraska's last match was a sweep over Michigan on March 26.

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