SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State volleyball improves to 14-7 on the season and head coach Sean Huiet improves to 50-8 in conference play in his four-year tenure at Texas State with the Bobcats 3-1 win over South Alabama.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Going into the match the Bobcats new they were going to be tested by the Jaguars. After the sweep the day before and the quick turnaround between games, the two sides came out ready for a battle. No more than four points separated the two sides the entire way through the opening set. With 12 tied scored and six lead changes, set one could have gone either way. Ultimately, though, the three more kills the visitors had made the difference in set one and they won 25-22.

After the opening set, though, the Bobcats gave nothing to the Jaguars. The set may have started close, but the Bobcats took an 11-9 score and allowed the visitors just five more points while they blocked and killed their way to a dominant 25-14 win in set two. The Bobcats are the only team to hold South Alabama to a set score below 15 this season. Highlighted by five total blocks, with four coming from Jade Defraeye, the Bobcats defense showed out to keep the Jaguars largely off the board.

Through set three, Maggie Walsh came alive. With five kills and hitting .625 on the set, she played a big role in the Bobcats win in the third set. The set was back and forth similar to the first one, but some but again the Bobcats defense helped them find a way to get the set win. 

Walsh continued to be a big presence for the Bobcats in set four on their way to their third-straight set win to take the match. With an additional five kills in the fourth set, she helped get the attack flowing for the Bobcats as they hit .250 on the set. The difference maker, though, was the blocking once again. Samantha Wunsch and Jade Defraeye partnered for the final block that made the score 24-20, just for Ryann Torres to get the final kill of the match on the next point and seal the 3-1 win for the Bobcats.

WHAT HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET SAID:
"I'm really proud again. Like I said last night, we focused a lot on our side of the net and doing some things to change things up. Our block is really good right now and that helps. I'm just really proud. It was such a quick turnaround and there's a lot going on and the fact that this team was able to stay locked in and composed about what they want to do is huge. It's all about being in the top two of our division and that really helps us to get two on South Alabama, so I'm really really proud."

STAT LEADERS

• Kills – KJ Johnson (12)
• Assists – Ryann Torres (38)
• Service Aces – Bailey Hanner (1)
• Blocks – Jade Defraeye (9)
• Digs – Alyssa Ortega (22)

SCORES BY SET

• 1st | South Alabama 25, Texas State 22
• 2nd | Texas State 25, South Alabama 14
• 3rd | Texas State 25, South Alabama 22
• 4th | Texas State 25, South Alabama 20

MATCH NOTES

• The Bobcats are 14-7 on the season and 7-3 in Sun Belt Conference play with the win over South Alabama. 
• Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 89 career wins, with an 89-35 record in his four-year tenure at Texas State. He has a 50-8 record in Sun Belt Conference games. 
• Jade Defraeye had a career-high nine blocks versus South Alabama, beating her record set last night of eight.
• Samantha Wunsch tied a career-high six blocks versus South Alabama. 21
• KJ Johnson had a career-high 21 digs, four blocks and four assists on her way to a 12 kill-21 dig double-double. This was her eighth double-double as a Bobcat.

 
UP NEXT:
Texas State will head on the road for a four-game road trip. Up first the Bobcats will face Arkansas State on Oct. 27 and 28 before a trip to Troy to close out the regular season road slate on Nov. 3 and 4. Following the road trip the Bobcats will close the regular season at home with two games against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 9 and 10.
 
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