NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Texas State Volleyball cruised to a 3-0 sweep of Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night as three different Bobcats (3-3 overall) posted double-digit digs for the second straight match.
Despite the three-set sweep, the match featured a total of 24 tie scores and seven lead changes as Texas State fought its way to the win. The Bobcats held the Ladyjacks (3-4 overall) to just a .167 hitting percentage and a total of 33 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1: 25-22
Both sides traded blows through the first 16 points until a 4-0 run from the Bobcats created a gap the Ladyjacks could not overcome. Texas State opened the match with a .318 hitting percentage, converting a match-high 19 kills on 44 attempts with five errors. McKee led the offense with six kills while Bentke and Bennett finished with five each. At the net, junior
Anna Blaine led with two while Bentke, junior
Caelyn Robel, and Bennett all cashed in for one block each. While the Bobcats posted their least number of kills in the first frame, the floor defense more than made up for it, posting a match-high 24 digs to keep the team in the lead.
SET 2: 25-22
Mirroring the score from the first set, the second frame was just as eventful with seven tie scores. Bentke once again paced the offense with five kills for a staggering .571 [5-1-7] hitting percentage while McKee was just behind the senior with four. Texas State prevented SFA from getting any offensive momentum, posting a match-high 68% sideout rate and converting on 15 of their 22 sideout attempts.
SET 3: 25-19
The final set of the night was arguably the most dramatic as the two teams tied the score 11 different times and exchanged the lead five times. However, Texas State kept its cool as they hit a match-high .382 [17-4-34] hitting percentage and three different Bobcats recorded a set-high four kills. Bennett, McKee, and Bentke all posted four kills each, but Bennett bested the group in efficiency with a .800 [4-0-5] hitting efficiency. At the net, Bennett was the only player who recorded a block, but it wasn't without flair as the fifth year recorded a solo block.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HEUIT
ON THE SWEEP OF SFA
"Any time you can sweep a good team on their home court, it's a great night. I thought our offense really clicked tonight and Jasmine digging over five balls a game set the tone for us."
ON COURT LEADERSHIP FROM ANNA BLAINE
"We didn't pass as well as we would like, so kudos to Anna getting us back in system as much as she did. Our pin hitters did a really good job of tooling their block and took some big swings."
ON JASMINE PURAKAL'S CRUICAL BACK ROW PERFORMANCE
"Jas is so fun to watch and she's still getting used to our system a little bit, but you can see why she was libero of the year in the Horizon League last season, she just keeps the ball off the floor. A stat you don't see on the stat sheet is that she passed a 2.7 on a 3.0 scale which is elite."
NOTABLES
- Thursday's match was the second straight match with at least three Bobcats finishing in double-digit kills.
- India Bennett posted a team-high .714 [11-1-14] hitting percentage. The last time a Texas State player posted a .714 or better was Caelyn Robel who posted a .714 against ULM on Oct. 24, 2025.
- The match against SFA was also the second match in a row that Texas State has posted a .340 hitting percentage or better.
- Anna Blaine matched her carer high in assists with 48.
- Brooke Bentke was just shy of her career-high in kills with 14 (15, at A&M-Corpus Christi).
UP NEXT
The Bobcats take on the Mavericks from UT Arlington in Day Two of the Texas Challenge hosted by SFA. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
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