TROY, Alabama — The Bobcats will close its regular season road slate at Troy this weekend with two matches against the Trojans. The team will then return home for Senior Weekend versus Coastal Carolina.

MATCH INFO:
Nov. 3 | Texas State at Troy
6 PM (CT) | Troy, Alabama
TV: ESPN+ 

Nov. 4 | Texas State at Troy
2 PM (CT) | Troy, Alabama
TV: ESPN+ 

HISTORY:
The Bobcats have a perfect 17-0 record against Troy in program history. 

The last time these two teams faced off was on 11/5/22 when the Bobcats won 3-1. Only one time in matchup history has it taken five sets to determine a winner which happened Sept. 27, 2014 when the Bobcats were on the road in Troy.

NOTES TO KNOW:
SUN BELT AWARDS: The Bobcats have won six Sun Belt Conference weekly awards this season. KJ Johnson (week one) and Samantha Wunsch (week two) were named Offensive Player of the week. Ryann Torres won Setter of the Week in week two and nine. Bailey Hanner won week eight's defensive player of the week after an 11 block weekend vs Southern Miss, and Jade Defraeye won week nine's defensive player of the week after a 17 block weekend versus South Alabama.
 
RPI RANKING: In the fifth week of RPI rankings, following a two win weekend against Arkansas State, the Bobcats RPI moved to 48. Texas State is one of two teams (James Madison) in the Sun Belt with a top-50 ranking.

FASTEST TO 50: Head coach Sean Huiet sits with an impressive 52-8 (.865) record in Sun Belt Conference play since his tenure as head coach began in 2020. Among active Sun Belt Conference coaches, Huiet has reached 50 conference wins faster than any other head coach.

Additionally, of active SBC coaches, Huiet has the highest conference winning percentage outside of Coastal Carolina interim head coach Steve Loeswick, who is undefeated in his tenure so far.

Huiet is the fastest coach in TXST history to reach 50 career conference wins. His predecessor, former head coach Karen Chisum, took 62 conference games to reach the 50 win landmark. 

LEAVE NO DOUBT: The 2023 Bobcats decided its team mantra headed is 'leave no doubt' which just is a reminder to leave it all on the court. After back-to-back second place finishes at the Sun Belt Conference Championship and narrowly missing at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats want people to know they belong in the postseason play and they'll make sure it's in their hands that they get there. This mantra has carried the team throughout 2023.

WHERE WE RANK:
Texas State is:
- 11th in the nation in team total blocks (236.0)
- 11th in the nation in blocks per set (2.74)
- 1st in the Sun Belt for blocks per set (2.74)
 
KJ Johnson is:
- Fifth in the Sun Belt for kills/set (3.79)
- Seventh in the Sun Belt for points/set (4.19)
 
Jade Defraeye is:
- Third in the Sun Belt for blocks per set (1.15)
- 1st in Sun Belt games for blocks per set (1.36)

Bailey Hanner is:
- Eighth in the Sun Belt for blocks per set (1.03)
- 6th in Sun Belt games for blocks per set (1.11)

Alyssa Ortega is:
- Sixth in Sun Belt games for digs per set (4.66)

On the Cusp:
The Bobcats have two players who are within striking distance of career milestones. Senior setter Ryann Torres has 969 career assists. Junior libero/defensive specialist Jackie Lee has 493 career digs.

Last Season Rewind: The Bobcats finished the 2022 season first place in the West Division with a 24-7 record, going 14-2 in conference play. The team made an appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game, losing to James Madison 3-1 and narrowly missing on an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. 

Returning to the Mix: The Bobcats are returning one starter from the 2022 season, libero Jackie Lee. Lee started 19 matches and played 70 sets paired with 255 digs, 61 assists and 16 service aces.

Also returning are senior Megan Woods, junior Alyssa Ortega and sophomores Maggie Walsh, Bailey Hanner and Jade Defraeye. Walsh and Ortega made big impacts off the bench for the Bobcats in the 2022 season. Both played in more than 25 matches seeing 60+ sets apiece in the 2022 season. The pair and Lee spearhead the Bobcats returners this season.

Meet the Staff: Head Coach Sean Huiet and Associate Head Coach Keith Anderson return to lead the staff with some new help. Huiet starts his fourth season at the helm of the program after serving as an assistant coach for 15 seasons prior. He enters the season with a 82-32 all-time record. 

Former graduate assistant Charli Fouts was promoted to assistant coach in the spring of 2023 and will stay for her first season in her new role, third overall on the staff.
 
Also joining the mix as an assistant coach is former Conference-USA stand-out Carly Graham. The three-time C-USA Player of the Year and All-American joins the Bobcats staff for her first season.

Up Next:
The Bobcats will close out the regular season inside Strahan Arena with two matches versus East-Division leaders Coastal Carolina. The matches will be Nov. 9 and 10 at 6 p.m.. Get your tickets now at txst.com/tickets or the matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

FOLLOW US
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