HARRISONBURG, Virginia — Texas State volleyball suffered its second loss of conference play to James Madison on Friday night in four sets.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set one was a close affair all the way through. It wasn't until James Madison went on a run at the end of the set that there was more than a two-point spread between these two teams. Despite similar statistics, the Bobcats were unable to terminate when they needed to. Giving the Dukes chances on the rallies ultimately helped the home side squeak out the 25-21 win in set one.

The Dukes hit the gas in set two. After swinging .371 with 17 kills in set two, the home side won the set comfortably by a 25-13 score line. 

The 'Cats weren't done yet, though. In set three, Texas State was firing on all cylinders. Despite the first half of the set being close, even tied 10-10 at one point, the Bobcats went on a 6-1 run to put themselves ahead. The Bobcats found themselves up 18-12 where the team was hitting .478 in the first 2/3 of the set. From there, highlighted by Samantha Wunsch's massive 10 kills, the Bobcats cruised to a dominant 25-18 set three win. Wunsch hit 10-1-17 in set three for a high .529 hitting percentage in the Bobcats set win. 

Set four felt like a chess match between the two sides. After a hot start by JMU, the Bobcats fought their way back, tying things up at 13 apiece. Wunsch had another five kills in set three, but with nine team errors to the Duke's five, it was too much to overcome. Despite keeping the Dukes hitting just .182 through set three, they still won the set 25-17, taking the match in four sets. 

STAT LEADERS

• Kills – Samantha Wunsch (22)
• Assists – Ryann Torres (37)
• Service Aces – Jacqueline Lee (1)
• Blocks – Jade Defraeye (5)
• Digs – Alyssa Ortega (24)

SCORES BY SET

• 1st | James Madison 25, Texas State 21
• 2nd | James Madison 25, Texas State 13
• 3rd | Texas State 25, James Madison 17
• 4th | James Madison 25, Texas State 17

 
MATCH NOTES

• The Bobcats sit at 9-6 on the season and 2-2 in Sun Belt Conference play with the loss to James Madison. 
• Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 84 career wins, with an 84-34 record in his four-year tenure at Texas State. He has a 45-7 record in Sun Belt Conference games.
• Alyssa Ortega one-upped her previous career-high in kills she set in the Bobcats last match versus James Madison by getting 24 digs to set her new career high on Friday night.
• Samantha Wunsch had a career-high 22 digs in the Bobcats match versus JMU.

UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will return home for a pair of matches with Louisiana on Oct. 6 and 7. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
FOLLOW US
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