LAWRENCE, Kansas
— Texas State volleyball opened the Jayhawk Classic with two wins over New Hampshire and Bellarmine.
Game 1: TXST 3, New Hampshire 2: Texas State battled through set one. With freshman
Zenai Jethroe earning her first career start for the Bobcats, the lineup looked different, but the Bobcats still found a way to win the set. Highlighted by Jethroe hitting .571 (5-1-7) and
Jade Defraeye hitting .600 (3-0-5) the Bobcats had to battle out a 30-28 win to start the day.
The Bobcats won set two despite a back-and-forth affair. The Wildcats went on a run to make the score 18-16, but the Bobcats battled back with big defensive performances and were able to reclaim a 22-20 lead. From there, kills by
Carlee Pharris, Johnson and Walsh ended the set.
Set three saw the Wildcats get out to a lead the Bobcats were unable to come back from. Despite a 4-0 run towards the end of the third set, New Hampshire had enough of a lead to take the set 25-20. Similarly in set four the Wildcats went out on a run in the late stages of the set and TXST couldn't find a comeback, forcing a fifth set.
The Bobcats made the comeback in set five, though. Despite New Hampshire getting out to a 4-1 lead, the Bobcats went five straight to take a 6-4 lead. From there the Bobcats battled for a four-point lead that left them enough room to fight for the set win. A timeout ahead of the match point couldn't stop
Alyssa Ortega from serving her fourth ace of the game and winning the match.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 30, New Hampshire 28
- 2nd | Texas State 25, New Hampshire 23
- 3rd | New Hampshire 25, Texas State 20
- 4th | New Hampshire 25, Texas State 23
- 5th | Texas State 15, New Hampshire 12
Game 2: TXST 3, Bellarmine 0
Set one was all gas for the Bobcats. After going out on a 7-2 lead to start things off and force Bellarmine into a timeout, the 'Cats continued to dominate. Highlighted by
Sophie Childs hitting .600 through set one with three kills, Texas State won set one comfortably, 25-16.
Bellarmine came out in set two and challenged the Bobcats, but they rose to the occasion. After matching points most, the way through the set, the Bobcats took a 20-18 lead and ended the set on a 5-2 run, book ended by a statement block from
Zenai Jethroe and
KJ Johnson.
Set three saw the Bobcats largest margin of victory on the season so far. After escaping early to a 12-4 lead, the Bobcats continued to add on to their success. Holding a 20-7 lead over Bellarmine, the Bobcats were able to silence the competition and take a dominant 25-10 win.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 25, Bellarmine 16
- 2nd | Texas State 25, Bellarmine 20
- 3rd | Texas State 25, Bellarmine 10
What Head Coach Sean Huiet said: "I loved how aggressive we were from the service line and our blocking was really good. Zenai [Jethroe] and Carlee [Pharris] really stepped in and we didn't miss a beat. Really impressed with how this team is finding ways to get better and win some matches during some adversity."
MATCH NOTES
- The Bobcats improve to 7-3 on the year with its wins over New Hampshire and Bellarmine.
- Graduate KJ Johnson had her fifth straight double-double against New Hampshire with a career-high 28 kills and 10digs. Johnson has the highest kills/set average of any Sun Belt Conference player with 4.45. Johnson also has the 9th highest hitting percentage with .324.
- Carlee Pharris had a career-high 50 assists against New Hampshire.
- Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 82 career wins, with a 82-31 record in his four-year tenure.
UP NEXT:
Texas State will face #20 Kansas in tomorrow's matinee game beginning at 1 p.m.. The match will 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.
