SAN MARCOS, TX — On the heels of becoming the first volleyball program in Sun Belt Conference history to win all three of the league's weekly volleyball awards in the same week earlier this week, the Texas State volleyball program will return to the court this weekend for a two-match tilt against Arkansas State. 

Action will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, before wrapping up at 1 p.m., the following day. Brant Freeman (Play by Play) and Mick Haley (Analyst) will call both matches on ESPN+.  

I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE

• Dating back to the series' first match on Nov. 21, 1981, Texas State has won 15 of 25 total matches against Arkansas State, including the last six in a row. 
• Since Texas State joined the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2013 season, the Bobcats are 14-6 against the Red Wolves. 
• Third-year head coach Sean Huiet has never lost to Arkansas State while at the helm of the Texas State volleyball program. 
  • In fact, the Bobcats have won 15 of 17 sets played against the Red Wolves under Huiet with four of the five wins coming via three-set victories. 
• Texas State has never lost to Arkansas State inside Strahan Arena under Huiet. 
  • The Bobcats are 1-0 in volleyball matches against Red Wolves in San Marcos with the victory coming on Nov. 7, 2021, when Texas State won in three sets (25-20, 25-7, 26-24). 
• In Sun Belt matches played in San Marcos, Texas State is 7-1 against Arkansas State with the Red Wolves' only win — a five-set match — happening on Oct. 11, 2013, when the two programs met as Sun Belt opponents for the first time ever. 
• Arkansas State has never beaten Texas State in three sets in matches played in San Marcos. 
• This weekend's matches will mark the first time Texas State has played consecutive matches against Arkansas State in San Marcos since Nov. 3, 2017, and Sept. 29, 2018. 
  • The forthcoming three-match streak of home matches for Texas State against Arkansas State is the longest homestand by either team in series history since the Red Wolves hosted four straight matches on Nov. 6, 2020 — a doubleheader — then Nov. 7, 2020 and finally Oct. 16, 2021.

'CAUSE I'M HERE TO STAY, I'M HERE TO PLAY

• While teammate Emily DeWalt has climbed to the top of both the Texas State volleyball and Sun Belt Conference record books, Janell Fitzgerald has quickly found herself near the top of the Bobcats' historical records, too. 
  • With 11 kills against Arkansas State this weekend, Fitzgerald will pass Makenda Smith (1995-98) for the most career kills in Texas State volleyball history. 
    • Fitzgerald has been credited with 11-or-more kills in every Texas State conference match so far this season. 

GET USED TO IT

• With two more block assists, Janell Fitzgerald will pass Krisha Crosley (1993-96) for fifth on the program's career block assist list. 
  • When Fitzgerald accomplishes the feat, she will join Emily DeWalt as the only active Bobcat volleyball student-athletes to be ranked in the top five in multiple career statistical categories in Texas State volleyball history. 
    • DeWalt is currently ranked first in career assists and third in career digs. 
    • Fitzgerald is currently ranked second in career kills and sixth in career block assists. 

Texas State career block assists leaderboard

1. 378, Tyeranee Scott (2017-22) 
2. 325, Amber Calhoun (2008-11)
3. 311, Emily Jones Wilkes (2005-08)
4. 309, Laura Ivy (1997-00)
5. 303, Krisha Crosley (1993-96)

NOTHING'S GOING TO BRING ME DOWN

• Following the 2020 season, Lauren Teske was named as an All-Sun Belt Second Team performer. While the 2021 season didn't have the same outcome as 2020, the redshirt-senior is well on her way to earning postseason honors in 2022. 
  • In Teske's last five matches played, the outside hitter has been credited with five straight double-doubles, including a pair against West Division rival, South Alabama, last weekend. 
    • Teske missed out on making it six straight by two kills and two digs at Louisiana on Oct. 7. 
    • She also missed out of her first double-double of the season on Oct. 1, when she went for 18 kills and nine digs against James Madison.  

GOT A LITTLE TASTE OF IT

• Texas State will enter this weekend's two matches against Arkansas State ranked 67th in the latest Division I Women's Volleyball RPI, which was released on Sunday, Oct. 23. 
  • The Bobcats are the second highest ranked team in the Sun Belt behind James Madison (46). 
  • Texas State, after this weekend, has two regular season matches remaining against Troy (122) and Coastal Carolina (93). 
• Arkansas State comes to San Marcos ranked 272nd in the latest RPI rankings, the 12th lowest in the league. 

AND I- I WANT MORE

• Under third-year head coach Sean Huiet, the Texas State volleyball program has never lost back-to-back regular season conference matches. 
  • In 2020, the Bobcats' lone regular-season conference loss came to UTA (11/14) on the final day of the regular season. 
  • In 2021, Texas State bounced back from a loss at South Alabama (9/24) with a win against ULM and a loss to Louisiana (10/2) by capping the regular season with a 12-match winning streak. 
  • In 2022, Huiet's squad responded from a five-set loss to James Madison (9/30) with six straight victories, including wins over JMU, Louisiana, Southern Miss and South Alabama. 

AND I CAN'T IGNORE THE FEEL OF IT

• Texas State will enter this weekend's matches against Arkansas State leading the Sun Belt in points per set (19.05), total points (724), hitting percentage (.283), assists per set (14.53), total assists (552), total kills (588) and kills per set (15.47) in conference-only matches. 
  • The Bobcats are the only team to have recorded: 
    • 700-or-more points in conference-only matches
    • 500-or-more assists in conference-only matches
    • 525-or-more kills in conference-only matches
• Defensively, the Bobcats also rank at the top of the conference in opponent service aces with a 0.74 mark in conference-only matches. 
  • Texas State is the only team in the league with a sub-1.00 opponent service ace per set average. 
  • The Bobcats also rank number one in the league in digs per set (16.87) and total digs (641) in conference-only matches. 

NOTHING'S GOING TO STOP ME NOW

• A section of each weekend's match preview is normally dedicated on the updated chase Emily DeWalt is in as it pertains to the program and conference's career assist leaderboard. However, the four-time Sun Belt Setter of the Year now sits atop both of those marks, but what would a preview article be without a list:

Sun Belt Career Assist Leaderboard

1. Emily DeWalt (TXST, 2018-P) — 5,705
2. Leslie Clark (MT, 2004-08) — 5,692

Texas State Career Assist Leaderboard

1. Emily DeWalt (2018-P) — 5,705
2. Kristy Braun (1991-94) — 5,517

For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasStateVball on Twitter, @TxStateVolleyball on Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.