SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State volleyball will open its 2024 regular season on the road at the Rice Invitational. The team's first match is slated for 10 am on Friday, Aug. 30 versus Houston Christian.
 
The team will also face Texas Southern at 4 pm on Aug. 30 and Rice at 3 pm on Aug. 31. Only the Bobcats match with Rice on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
About Texas State
Coming off a 20-10 season that saw the team earn its first at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in program history, Texas State returns the majority of its lineup from the 2023 season. Highlighted by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jade Defraeye and all-conference selections Ryann Torres, Alyssa Ortega and Sam Wunsch, the Bobcats return all but one member of its starters.
 
The Bobcats will open the 2024 season with 13 consecutive road matches including the Rice Invitational, and tournament at Hawaii and UTEP in addition to matches at in-state foes Texas A&M and UTSA. This road-heavy schedule is partially due to the Bobcats initially anticipating hosting one of the 2024 Presidential Debates. The Bobcats will have just eight regular season home games, beginning in October.
 
The Bobcats are led by 5th year head coach Sean Huiet who comes into the year with a 95-38 record at the helm of the Bobcats after serving as the assistant coach of the program since 2006.
 
About Houston Christian
Houston Christian is coming off a 19-13 season in 2023 that included a second-round exit from the Southland Conference Tournament after a 3-1 loss to Southeastern Louisiana. Coming into 2024, the team was picked to finish 5th in the Southland Conference.
 
Houston Christian is led by 13th year head coach Trent Herman who sits with a 211-162 record in his time with the Huskies. 
 
In the previous meetings between these two teams, Texas State has a 5-1 record against the Huskies. Their last loss came in 2011 when the Bobcats fell 2-3 at home. The Bobcats won the last meeting between these two schools on August 26, 2022 by a score of 3-1.
 
About Texas Southern
Texas Southern is coming off a 8-23 season in 2023 and a first-round loss to Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Tournament. They are led by third year head coach Alexis Austin who has a 17-42 record in her time with the program. 
 
The Bobcats have a perfect 8-0 record all-time against Texas Southern, though the teams haven't met since 2009. All prior meetings between these two sides had been in Strahan Arena, with this weekend's match at Rice being their first neutral site meeting.
 
About Rice
Rice is coming off an 18-11 season in 2023 that saw them finish the 2023 season at third place in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. 
 
They are led by 21st year head coach Genny Vople. She has a 394-209 record all time at the helm of the program. Volpe was the head coach of Texas State assistant coach Carly Graham when she played for Rice from 2018-2022
 
Texas State has an 18-18-1 record all time against Rice, with their most recent meeting being a 3-0 loss in Strahan Arena during the 2019 season. In Houston, the Bobcats are 5-7 all time, but the Bobcats have won the last three meetings in Houston. Last time these two schools played each other at Rice was Sept. 4, 2018 and the Bobcats won 3-2.