TROY, Ala. — The Texas State volleyball program continued its winning ways as the Bobcats opened Sun Belt Conference action with a four-set victory over Troy Friday evening.
Texas State (5-9, 1-0) opened the match picking up where it left off during last season's conference slate as the Bobcats took the first set by 15 points. Troy (7-5, 0-1) answered back with a 9-point set win to even the match at 1-1.
From there, the battle was on.
Troy hurried out to a 10-3 lead to open the third set, but Texas State started chipping away and eventually tied the set at 17-17 following back-to-back kills from
Caitlan Buettner and
Jada Gardner. A solo block from
Tyeranee Scott followed and gave the Bobcats their first lead of the set since 1-0. Troy bounced back to tie the set at 21-21, but a four-point scoring run by Texas State ended the threat.
The fourth set was a mixture of the first and third as Texas State raced out to an 18-10 lead, but Troy went on to score 10 of the next 13 points. Both teams traded the next six points, before Gardner capped the win with a kill on an
Emily DeWalt assist.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET
"That was a great win tonight. I have tons of respect for what Josh (Lauer) and his staff have done with this program. Troy is a great team and beating them at home is always tough. I thought we came out very focused and showed a real high level of volleyball to start the match, but then lost our focus a little. I was glad we bounced back and were able to finish it off in four.
"It was nice to see Emily (DeWalt) back on the court. She helped lead the charge. She is so competitive and knows how to get this team to compete. Jada (Gardner) showed us she can terminate at a high level, and she did so in some big moments. Overall, it was a great win, but we can't celebrate too long because now it's time to focus our attention on South Alabama."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 25, Troy 10
- 2nd | Troy 25, Texas State 16
- 3rd | Texas State 25, Troy 21
- 4th | Texas State 25, Troy 23
MATCH NOTES
- Friday night's match marked the first game action for Texas State senior setter Emily DeWalt in 20 days. DeWalt last took the court on Saturday, Sept. 4 against then-No. 6 Ohio State, but exited the match during the first set. In her return to the court tonight, DeWalt turned in a season-high 43 assists.
- Jada Gardner has now recorded double-digit kills in her last three straight matches following her 19-kill performance at Troy Friday evening. Over her last three matches, the Maryland transfer has been credited with 61 kills.
- With her five block assists against the Trojans, Tyeranee Scott now has 319 career block assists, which is six back of tying the program record set by Amber Calhoun (2008-11).
UP NEXT
- Texas State will conclude its two-game swing through the Yellowhammer state when the Bobcats travel down to Mobile, Ala., to play South Alabama at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25.
- 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.
