CONWAY, S.C. — Jada Gardner opened the 2022 season with a 21-kill performance in a four-set win over Houston Christian. The sixth-year senior is well on the way to capping her final two regular-season collegiate volleyball matches in similar as Gardner went for a season-high 22 kills in a five-set win at Coastal Carolina on Thursday night.
The offensive performance by the Cibolo, Texas native came when her team needed her the most.
After Texas State dropped sets two and three, Gardner, who had only 11 kills through the match's first three sets, flipped the switch and went
next level. She added seven kills to her total in
just the fourth set alone, before chipping in four more during the fifth set.
During the middle points of the fourth set, when Coastal Carolina got to within two points at 14-12, Gardner recorded six of the Bobcats' next seven points. And during the midst of the personal scoring run, the Maryland transfer joined
Janell Fitzgerald as the only active Bobcat student-athletes to surpass 1,000 career collegiate kills. The moment came when Gardner took a set from libero
Jacqueline Lee and planted in between several Chanticleer defenders to make it 16-12, Bobcats.
Gardner, who spent the first four seasons of her collegiate volleyball career at Maryland, has used the last two seasons at Texas State to spark the run towards the milestone. In 170 sets played throughout 53 matches as a Bobcat, Gardner has been credited with 535 of her 1,008 career kills.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET
"Yeah, (Jada) reaching that milestone is so awesome. I knew she was getting close, but not only did she reach that milestone, but she also finished the match with 22 kills with a .409 attack percentage. She's playing really well down the stretch, and we need her to, so I'm very proud of her."
FROM OUTSIDE HITTER JADA GARDNER
"I'm just playing free (right now) and just having fun. I've realized I don't have much longer to do this, so I'm just trying to go out there and having fun and trying to enjoy the moment, enjoying my teammates and just playing free. I was joking with someone earlier that (getting my 1,000th kill)
finally happened because it only took six years, but it's exciting."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 25, Coastal Carolina 20
- 2nd | Coastal Carolina 25, Texas State 20
- 3rd | Coastal Carolina 25, Texas State 23
- 4th | Texas State 25, Coastal Carolina 19
- 5th | Texas State 15, Coastal Carolina 7
MATCH NOTES
- After dropping its first two conference five-set matches this season, Texas State has now bounced back to win its last two five-set matches against conference foes following Thursday night's outcome.
- With the win, Texas State has now won at least 13 Sun Belt matches in a single season each of the last nine seasons, dating back to 2013 when the Bobcats won only 11.
- Since joining the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2013 season, Texas State has won at least 11 conference matches every season.
- By finishing Thursday night's match with 51 assists, Emily DeWalt now has five matches with 50-or-more assists.
- Her 51 assists against the Chanticleers were the most by the fifth-year senior since being credited with 56 in a five-set win over Arkansas State on Oct. 29, 2022.
- Emily DeWalt also finished Thursday night's action with her 78th career double-double (assists, digs) as the fifth-year senior went for 51 assists and 11 digs.
- She also added five kills, four service aces and one block to her stat line.
- Texas State opened the fifth set on an 8-0 run that was highlighted by three service aces from Emily DeWalt.
UP NEXT
- The Texas State volleyball program (21-6, 13-2) will close out the 2022 regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 at 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET, when the Bobcats conclude a two-match series at Coastal Carolina.
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.
