SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State volleyball battled for a five-set win in Strahan Arena to open up SWT Weekend. The Bobcats fought with their backs against the wall after going down 2-1 to win in five sets, with an 18-16 score to win it in set five.
Samantha Wunsch had her fifth-consecutive double-double to lead the Bobcats with 15 kills and a team-best 17 digs tonight.
Bailey Hanner was the lone other Bobcat with double-digit kills with her 11 to go along with an eight-block night for the senior. That, alongside a 16-dig night from
Brooke Bentke helped Texas State to the comeback win.
WHAT HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET SAID: "We needed that. I think y'all have seen us be battle tested and come up on the other side and I felt like against a really good South Alabama team who came in 4-0, we talked about making a statement and getting back to our style of volleyball. It was really nice to see it come out on the court because we've been battling, we've been working."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Texas State never trailed in the first set. The team hit a match-best .275 with 15 kills while limiting South Alabama to just .175 as the Bobcats forced seven attack errors and benefitting from two service errors in the first set. Wunsch and
Jade Defraeye led with four kills each in the first set. Texas State won set one 25-21.
The Bobcats hitting woes started in the second set, though. Texas State hit just .163 with six attack errors and four serve errors in set two, which helped South Alabama gain some momentum. Despite a back-and-forth affair, South Alabama outhit Texas State with a .286 attack percentage to win set two 25-22.
It was all Jaguars in set three, with the visiting side hitting .419 with 16 kills on 31 attempts. They allowed the Bobcats to stay in it with five serve errors, but Texas State's eight attack errors plagued them. South Alabama won set three 25-17 to win set three and go up 2-1.
The Bobcats bounced back in set four, though. It was the Bobcats block that helped them limit the Jaguar attack to a .158 line with nine errors. That, along with five more serve errors from the Jaguars helped Texas State to the set win. Despite tallying just nine kills, Texas State found other ways to get it done to win 25-21 in set four.
Set five continued to be a defensive battle as Texas State fought for every ball with 14 digs in the fifth set, and three team blocks. Texas State kept South Alabama hitting .071 in the fifth set. Texas State won set five 18-16 after a gutsy performance that took nearly each member of its roster.
After today's five set win, Texas State is 8-8 on the season and 3-2 in Sun Belt play.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | Texas State 25, South Alabama 21
- 2nd | Texas State 22, South Alabama 25
- 3rd | Texas State 17, South Alabama 25
- 4th | Texas State 25, South Alabama 21
- 5th | Texas State 18, South Alabama 16
MATCH NOTES
- Naara Tanco played in the first match of her career at Texas State, recording a key block in her debut.
- Samantha Wunsch recorded her eighth double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs. Her 17 digs was a career-best as well.
- Bailey Hanner had a season-best 11 kills.
UP NEXT
Texas State will return home for SWT Throwback Weekend against South Alabama tomorrow, Oct. 10 at 6 pm. Fans can purchase tickets on txst.com/tickets or tune in on ESPN+. The team will then head to Arkansas State on Oct. 17 and 18.
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.
