DALLAS, Texas – Texas State volleyball will play in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. (CT). The Bobcats will take on the Missouri Tigers at SMU's Moody Coliseum. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
ABOUT THE FIRST AND SECOND ROUND:
The Bobcats match with Missouri will be the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The winner of this match will advance to the second round and face the winner of the match between SMU and Wichita State, still in Dallas. The second-round match will be Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
 
Whoever the winner of the second-round match is will advance to the NCAA Tournament Regional. The hosts of the regionals are to be determined and will be announced Dec. 4. 
 
Full information about streaming and stats can be found on txst.com.

ABOUT THE BOBCATS:
Texas State is coming into the NCAA tournament fresh off a Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship. The Bobcats finished 2nd in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference this season with an 13-3 record in SBC play. The Bobcats are 22-8 on the season heading into the NCAA tournament.
 
Texas State returned nearly its entire lineup from the 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance including 2024 all-Sun Belt selections Ryann Torres, Jade Defraeye and Sam Wunsch. Torres was named the Sun Belt Setter of the Year and boasts 10.31 assists per set, which is one of the best in the nation. Additionally, Defraeye contributes heavily to the Bobcats 2.48+ blocks per set which is also amongst the best in the nation.
 
Wunsch is averaging nearly four kills a set heading into the postseason, which contributes to the Bobcats 13.71 kills per set, which is the 31^st in the nation. The attack runs primarily through her and standout freshman MJ McCurdy who has had a lights-out year for the Bobcats in her freshman campaign. McCurdy is the lone change to head coach Sean Huiet's starting lineup from the 2023 season.
 
Senior libero Alyssa Ortega also returned for the Bobcats this year, leading the team in digs and was a Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week this season. Maggie Walsh and Bailey Hanner also return for the Bobcats this season.


The Bobcats enter the week on an 11-game win streak dating back to mid-October. The Bobcats have dropped just four sets since their last loss. Texas State went a perfect three-straight sweeps in the Sun Belt Tournament to win the Championship. 
 
The Bobcats are led by 5^th year head coach Sean Huiet who has tallied a 117-46 record in his time at the helm of the Bobcats. This is Huiet's third NCAA tournament appearance since becoming head coach. He also reached his 100^th career win this season over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi back on Sept. 20, becoming the fastest head coach in program history to reach this milestone.
 
BOBCATS IN THE POSTSEASON:
This will be the Bobcats second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament after reaching the Austin Regional in 2023. The Bobcats have an 2-13 record all time in the NCAA. 
 
Texas State's last win in the NCAA tournament was in 2020 when the Bobcats beat Utah Valley in the first round. The Bobcats other win in the NCAA tournament came in Austin in the 2018 regional when they faced Rice and won in four sets. 
 
In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats lost to SMU in three sets.

The Bobcats have 13 prior appearances in the NCAA tournament including the following years: 1986, 1991, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021 (2020 fall season played in spring of 2021), and 2023.
 
HISTORY WITH MISSOURI:
The two teams have never met in the postseason and have only played each other twice in program history. Texas State lost both meetings with the Tigers, but the two sides have not faced each other since 2009.
 
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