SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State volleyball put a mark in the previously perfect conference record for the South Alabama Jaguars after beating them in a 3-0 sweep on Friday night inside Strahan Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bobcats block was hot all night, but it came out immediately in set one. With a block by KJ Johnson and Jade Defraeye on the opening point, the Bobcats came out with a statement to make in set one. After going on a run that found the Bobcats up 14-5, the Jaguars took a timeout. It was too little too late, though, as a six-kill set one from Johnson paired with six team blocks from Texas State to earn a 25-20 win in set one. Texas State held the Jaguars to a .000 hitting percentage in set one with 12 attack errors.

Set two started off more evenly-matched, but two service aces by Maggie Walsh put some distance between the two sides. From there, the block party got started once again. With back-to-back blocks the Bobcats extended the lead to 14-9 and the Jaguars started making attack errors. Johnson tallied another five kills in set two to help the Bobcats get a 25-22 win in the second set.

Set three was all gas from the Bobcats. With not so much as a tied score, let alone a lead change, the Bobcats were in charge all the way through. Defraeye started off the set with one of her four kills of the night to get the ball rolling on an early 4-1 lead. From there, the teams traded points until the Bobcats went on a run. With the score at 9-7, Texas State scored six unanswered points to shut down the Jaguars. Part of this run was another service ace by Walsh, who had four on the night. 

The Bobcats kept swinging through the third set, finding a .387 attack percent with 16 kills on 31 total attacks in the final set. Once up 15-7, the Bobcats were able to cruise to a 25-17 win. The Bobcats were the first Sun Belt opponent to hold the Jaguars to less than 19 points in a single set so far in the 2023 season.

WHAT HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET SAID:
"We have been working hard this week. We talked a lot about where we are versus the way we want to be and how we want to be playing our best towards the end. With doing all the stuff we did this week, I was hoping we didn't lose focus. But I've said it a lot, this group is locked in. They've done a great job following the scouting report of what we want to do…. I'm super proud of how our team came out and competed and we made a statement from the start."

STAT LEADERS

• Kills – KJ Johnson (16)
• Assists – Ryann Torres (35)
• Service Aces – Maggie Walsh (4)
• Blocks – Jade Defraeye (8)
• Digs – Alyssa Ortega (11)

SCORES BY SET

• 1st | Texas State 25, South Alabama 20
• 2nd | Texas State 25, South Alabama 22
• 3rd | Texas State 25, South Alabama 17

MATCH NOTES

• The Bobcats are 13-7 on the season and 6-3 in Sun Belt Conference play with the win over South Alabama.
• Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 88 career wins, with an 88-35 record in his four-year tenure at Texas State. He has a 49-8 record in Sun Belt Conference games.
• Jade Defraeye had a career-high eight blocks versus South Alabama. 
• Samantha Wunsch had a career-high six blocks versus South Alabama. 

 
UP NEXT:
Texas State will face South Alabama tomorrow at noon inside Strahan Arena where the Bobcats will welcome back alumni including the 2013 and 2003 Championship winning teams. Get your tickets at txst.com/tickets.
 
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