SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State volleyball showed its resilience in a come-from-behind win over in-state foe North Texas Thursday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The match started out even between both sides. No more than one point separated the two sides until North Texas got out to a slight 11-9 lead in set one. Heavy hitting from the visitors helped them extend their lead to 19-13, but the Bobcats began to stage a comeback. Equalizing things at 24-24, the Bobcats nearly were able to find a set one win, but fell just short when service errors late in the set helped North Texas to a 27-25 set one win.
Set two the Bobcats again held close until late in the set when North Texas went on an 8-0 run to end the set, winning 25-16.
The comeback started in set three, though. After a team meeting between sets lit a new fire into the Bobcats offense, they came out literally swinging. Going up 8-3 early on gave the Bobcats the push they needed to fight for a fourth (and fifth) set.
Bailey Hanner's three-straight aces set the tone for the Bobcats through the middle of set three. That, paired with
Samantha Wunsch hitting .625 (5-0-8) through the set three, gave the Bobcats a comfortable 25-17 win and the confidence they needed headed to set four.
Texas State started out set four with a 5-0 run, from there it was all about forcing North Texas into errors. Freshman
Zenai Jethroe played a big role with four block assists in the fourth set, the most of her young career. The Bobcats went out on a 19-10 lead and never looked back, ending the set with all the momentum on a 6-3 run.
Set five was another back and forth affair between the two sides. North Texas stayed within two points until an
Alyssa Ortega ace changed the tempo of the match. A big performance from
Sophie Childs in set five helped the Bobcats take a 10-4 lead. From there, the Bobcats battled through the rest of the match and capitalized on two service errors towards the end for a 15-13 fifth set win.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET: "We have to win three sets; it doesn't matter what three. I'd really like it to be easier and not as stressful, but this group is so resilient, they're so tough. I love early on having some of these five-setters and seeing what we're made of, and I thought we did a really great job rebounding after a tough start."
FROM OUTSIDE HITTER SAMANTHA WUNSCH: "We know that we are a great team, and we weren't showing what we are made of in those first two sets. It was about being strong and being resilient and coming back in the last three sets and showing them what Texas State volleyball is made of."
FROM OUTSIDE HITTER KJ JOHNSON: "This is our court; this is our team. We know we are a lot better than this. We are all playing and rallying for each other, and I think that helped to keep that in mind to not let them keep momentum on their side. We had to really focus on ourselves."
MATCH NOTES
- The Bobcats improve to 3-1 on the year with its win over North Texas. The Bobcats have a 1-0 record at home.
- Samantha Wunsch hit a career-high .448 (15-2-29) against North Texas. The sophomore also tied for the team leader in in kills with 15.
- Sophomore Bailey Hanner had four service aces on the night, three coming in back-to-back-to-back serves.
- Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 78 career wins, with a 78-29 record in his four-year tenure.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | North Texas 27, Texas State 25
- 2nd | North Texas 25, Texas State 16
- 3rd | Texas State 25, North Texas 17
- 4th | Texas State 25, North Texas 13
- 5th | Texas State 15, North Texas 13
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will host the #13 Houston Cougars inside Strahan Arena on Saturday night. The match will start at 3 p.m. and be streamed on ESPN+.
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.
