HONOLULU, HI — Looking to continue its momentum from winning all three matches in last weekend's Cardinal Classic, the Texas State volleyball program traveled to O'ahu of the Hawaiian Islands to participated in the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge hosted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Texas State (3-0) open play against Hawaii (0-3) on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST) / Friday, Sept. 2 at 12 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST). The Bobcats will, then, play 23rd-ranked UCLA on Friday, Sept. 2 at 4:45 p.m. HST / 9:45 p.m. CST. Texas State will wrap up its three-match slate on Sunday, Sept. 4, when the Bobcats play West Virginia at 2:45 p.m. HST / 7:45 p.m. CST. 

Of the Bobcats' three matches this weekend, only Texas State's match against the host school Hawaii will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stat links can be found here: Hawaii, UCLA and West Virginia.

SERIES HISTORY

• Texas State and Hawaii's volleyball programs have met only twice prior to Thursday's match, but this week will mark the first time the two programs have met since the NCAA elected to change the scoring format to its current state. Last time out, Hawaii knocked off Texas State in three sets (30-25, 30-28, 30-23) in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament in Houston, Texas on Dec. 2, 2005. The first-ever match between the Bobcats and the Rainbow Wahine occurred on Dec. 5, 1991, when Hawaii won in three sets (17-15, 15-6, 15-7). Thursday's match will mark the first-ever regular-season meeting between the Bobcats and Rainbow Wahine. 
• Texas State and UCLA have only met on a neutral-site court with the last match happening on Sept. 6, 2019, when the Bruins won in three sets (26-24, 25-18, 25-23). Friday's match against UCLA will mark the earliest known* meeting between the two programs with two previous matches occurring on Sept. 8, 2006, and Sept. 6, 2019. *Records do now indicate where a 1972 match happened. 
• This weekend, Texas State will be looking for its first-ever win against Hawaii and UCLA. 
• Texas State has won its only previous meeting with West Virginia as the Bobcats won in three sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) on Sept. 5, 2011, in San Marcos. 

SETTING THE TABLE

• No volleyball student-athlete in Sun Belt Conference history has done a better job at setting her team's offense throughout matches as Texas State's Emily DeWalt. 
• Earlier this weekend, DeWalt, a four-time Sun Belt Setter of the Year, was selected as the Sun Belt's Setter of the Week for the 19th time during her Bobcat career. No student-athlete in league history — other than DeWalt — has more than 15, which former Arkansas State standout Mallory Warrington accomplished during a four-year career from 2013 to 2016. 

E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E, FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ME

• Entering this week's three-match tilt, Texas State graduate students Janell Fitzgerald and Emily DeWalt are the NCAA's active leaders in career games played with 135 and 134, respectively. 

Career Matches Played, NCAA
   
      1. 135, Janell Fitzgerald, TXST 
      2. 134, Emily DeWalt, TXST
      3. 125, Inga Rotto, UNI
      4. 124, Ella May Powell, Washington
      5. 123, Nicklin Hames, Nebraska

• Fitzgerald and DeWalt's former teammates Tyeranee Scott (2017-21) and Brooke Johnson (2017-21) sit atop the Sun Belt's career matches played leaderboard with 158 and 153 career matches played, respectively. With Fitzgerald and DeWalt's addition to the conference's career matches played list, Texas State now makes up four of the top five spots with only App State's Emma Reilly (2017-21) breaking up the duos at 138.  

Career Matches Played, Sun Belt Conference

1. 158, Tyeranee Scott, TXST (2017-21)
2. 153, Brooke Johnson, TXST (2017-21)
3. 138, Emma Reilly, APP (2017-21)
4. 135, Janell Fitzgerald, TXST (2018-P)
5. 134, Emily DeWalt, TXST (2018-P)

ACE OF SPADE

• Texas State defensive specialist Alyssa Ortega will enter Thursday night's match against Hawaii as one of six Division I volleyball student-athletes tied atop the national leader board in aces per set. 
• With the requirement of having must played in 66.7 percent of their team's sets so far this season, Ortega, in her first season as a Bobcat after transferring from Stephen F. Austin, is averaging 1.00 aces per set after totaling nine service aces in nine sets played in last weekend's Cardinal Classic in her hometown of San Antonio. 
• With her nine service aces so far this season, Ortega is already 40.9 percent of the way to Kayla Granado's team-high 22 service aces a season ago. At the current pace, Ortega is on pace for 28 service aces this season. 

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