SAN MARCOS, TX — To get to where Texas State's volleyball program wants to be by season's end, sometimes you have to just
find a way during the lull of the season. Saturday's five-set win for the Bobcats was exactly that.
Less than 19 hours after Texas State capped Friday night's action in three sets, Arkansas State opened Saturday afternoon's match with purpose as the Red Wolves took the opening set by five points. But the gears began to roll for the Bobcats in the later stages of the first set and that put the Texas State offense on full display throughout the second and third sets.
During the middle portion of the match, Texas State outscored Arkansas State 50-31 as the Bobcats finished the second and third sets with a .550 and .333 attack percentage, respectively. The third set
really got
Janell Fitzgerald's swing going as the program's new career kills leader added to her total with a six-kill third set that proceeded a seven-kill fourth set.
It was also the Texas State defense — during those sets — that brought the Bobcats back to life as the Red Wolves hit .182 throughout the second set and .028 in the third. And, after Arkansas State took the fourth set to force a decisive fifth, the Texas State defense stepped up, again, by holding the visitors to a .000 attack percentage en route to earning another win.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET
"I thought today was a little sluggish. Kudos to Arkansas State I thought they came out and served well today. They did things to try to stress us, which I thought we could've done a better job handling, but I'd rather talk about how we can get better after a win than a loss. Arkansas State played really well throughout the weekend, so I'm proud of our kids for being able to step up and earn the win. Honestly, I thought today came down to the serve and pass game. I thought they served really well, and we struggled to serve receive and we couldn't get them out of system. They have two outside (hitters) who do a great job at terminating and middles who like to swing away, so we needed to get them out of system."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Arkansas State 25, Texas State 20
- 2nd | Texas State 25, Arkansas State 17
- 3rd | Texas State 25, Arkansas State 14
- 4th | Arkansas State 26, Texas State 24
- 5th | Texas State 15, Arkansas State 10
MATCH NOTES
- With Saturday afternoon's win, Texas State now has 10 conference wins on the season, marking the 10th consecutive season the Bobcats have won double-digit regular-season Sun Belt matches.
- Texas State has won 10-or-more regular-season conference matches every season since joining the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2013 season.
- Janell Fitzgerald pushed her kill season total to 346 following an 18-kill performance against the Red Wolves on Saturday.
- Her 346 kills so far this season are the second most in a single season by the outside hitter after she was credited with 483 in 140 sets played throughout 40 matches during the 2020-21 season.
- For the second consecutive match, Texas State's native French middle blocker Jade Defraeye displayed a glimpse of her offensive potential as the Dunkirk, France native matched her career high with four kills on six total attacks. She also finished with one assist and one dig in two sets played Saturday.
- Pour le deuxième match consécutif, Jade Defraeye, contreuse centrale française, a montré un aperçu de son potentiel offensif alors que la native de Dunkerque, en France, a égalé son record en carrière avec quatre attaques décisives sur six attaques au total. Elle a également terminé avec une passe décisive et une creuser en deux sets joués samedi.
- For the first time since Sept. 23, 2022 at ULM, Jillian Slaughter finished a match with double-digit kills as the senior middle blocker posted 10 kills — her third most in a single match this season — on 16 attacks.
- Slaughter's season high is 14 kills against Abilene Christian on Sept. 16, 2022. She also had 11 kills in Monroe, La., earlier this season.
- Saturday's offensive performance for Texas State marked the 13th time this season the Bobcats finished a match with an attack percentage of .300-or-higher.
- Against the Red Wolves on Saturday, Texas State posted a .305 attack percentage: 67 kills and 21 errors on 151 total attacks.
UP NEXT
- Texas State (18-6, 10-2) will look for wins 19 and 20 on the season when the Bobcats host Troy (16-8, 10-2) for a two-match swing beginning on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. The Bobcats and Trojans are currently tied atop the Sun Belt's West Division after Texas State picked up two wins over Arkansas State, while Troy took two from South Alabama this weekend.
FOLLOW US
- 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.
