SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State volleyball fell in four sets to open Sun Belt play in Strahan Arena on Friday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both offensives came swinging in the first set with both sides hitting above .300. Louisiana was able to narrowly win set one with 17 kills to the Bobcats 13, despite Texas State hitting .333. Brooke Bentke led the way with four kills in the first set, only surpassed by Cailin Demps from Louisiana who had six. Despite the close affair, Louisiana won set one 25-22.

The Bobcats battled in set two all the way through, after a time out when the Bobcats were down 8-12, Texas State fought back to keep the set close. After tying the score at 24-24, Nina Moorer went for a kill and a block assist with Bailey Hanner to win the Bobcats the two points and the set. Despite Louisiana having more kills, Texas State was able to take advantage of the Ragin' Cajuns service errors to win the set.

Louisiana took momentum in the third set, though, getting off to an 8-2 lead early that forced Texas State into a timeout. From there, the Bobcats battled back to tie things at 13 from a Hanner kill. Louisiana still won the set, though, giving themselves a narrow lead to take set three 25-20.

Set four was error-ridden on both sides of the ball, with both Texas State and Louisiana hitting less than .100. Texas State swung a 7-6-33 attack line while Louisiana was just 13-11-46. Despite Louisiana tallying five more kills, the five more errors they gave to Texas State kept them in the match. Ultimately, a kill by Louisiana's Harley Krause would decide the match with a 26-24 score in set four.

After today's four set loss to Louisiana, Texas State is 5-7 on the season and 0-1 in Sun Belt play.

STAT LEADERS

• Kills – Samantha Wunsch (14)
• Assists – Anna Blaine (39)
• Blocks – Bailey Hanner, Britton Finley (4)
• Digs – Maggie Walsh, Samantha Wunsch (15)

SCORES BY SET

• 1st | Texas State 22, Louisiana 25
• 2nd | Texas State 26, Louisiana 24
• 3rd | Texas State 20, Louisiana 25
• 4^th | Texas State 24, Louisiana 26

MATCH NOTES

• Sam Wunsch had a career-best 15 digs tonight alongside 14 kills for the third double-double of her career. 
• Britton Finley had a career-best four blocks tonight.

 
UP NEXT
Texas State will stay home for River State Day in Strahan Arena against Louisiana tomorrow, Sept. 27. The match will start at 1 pm and be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also purchase tickets at txst.com/tickets. The Bobcats will then head on the road to play at Troy on Oct. 2 and 3. 

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.