NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Texas State Volleyball earned a gritty win on Friday afternoon as it completed a reverse sweep of UT Arlington.
After hitting a meager .090 through the first two sets, the Bobcats (4-3 overall) exploded for a .342 hitting percentage and a total of 37 kills in the final three sets. Sophomore
Peyton McKee led with 14 kills, but the most important offensive contributions came from the bench as freshman
Janet Onuorah and redshirt sophomore
Naara Tanco combined for 11 kills in the final two sets. In addition, redshirt freshman
Ashley Euston posted a career-high six blocks to guide the Bobcats to victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-20
The Mavericks (4-4 overall) bested the Bobcats in almost every single statistical category, putting up 13 kills to Texas State's 10. The lone bright spot of the match was an even 1-1 on team service aces. Both senior
Brooke Bentke and McKee posted a team-high three kills in the frame, with Bentke besting McKee in efficiency with a .125 hitting clip.
Set 2: 25-23
Texas State's performance improved marginally in the second set, moving from a .028 [10-9-36] hitting percentage to a .161 [12-7-31] in the second. In addition, UT Arlington only collected one more kill than Texas State, 13-12. UT Arlington also hit a match-best .333 during the second frame, keeping their hitting errors to four.
Set 3: 25-21
After the five minute break, the Bobcats came back a new team and while UT Arlington might have beaten Texas State in every statistical category, the Bobcats scored when it mattered as they posted a 52% (11-21) sideout percentage to the Mavericks' 44% (11-25). The two teams traded the lead a total of four times—the most of any set—and the match looked like it belonged to the Mavericks until a 5-1 run helped the Bobcats tie the match at 16-16. Blows were traded across the net until Texas State slammed the door with a 4-0 scoring run capped by a set-winning block from Euston and Onuorah.
Set 4: 25-14
The Bobcats rode the momentum into the fourth and swung for a monstrous .533, logging 19 kills and only three attack errors led by McKee with five kills. Six of the seven Bobcat hitters recorded at least one kill while four of those six totaled hitting percentages over .400. Euston went a perfect 3-for-3 (1.000), Onuorah hit .600 (3-0-5), Tanco touched .500 even (4-1-16), and McKee rounded out the pack with a .444 (5-1-9). Much like the third set, Texas State also capitalized on sideout opportunities, going an almost perfect 13-15 (86%).
Set 5: 15-10
Forcing a fifth set for the second time in seven matches, the Mavericks stormed out to a 4-2 lead before back-to-back kills from Taanco leveled the score, 4-4. Those back-to-back kills by Taanco proved to be the difference maker as momentum was squarely in the Bobcats' favor from then on. With the score tied 4-4, Texas State tacked on two more points to take the lead and never let the Mavericks tie the score again. Bentke, Onuorah, and Taanco all recorded two kills each while Onuorah and junior
Anna Blaine tallied one service ace apiece. At the net, McKee came up huge with a solo stuff for the Bobcats' only block of the set.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUEIT
ON FRIDAY'S REVERSE SWEEP OF UT ARLINGTON
"So proud of this group, I think this was big for us for a lot of reasons. We saw a lot of different people step up and contribute, and we proved to ourselves we have some grit to us. I think we have been questioning ourselves too much on how good we can be. Today showed them just how good we actually are."
ON THE BENCH'S CONTRIBUTIONS
"I thought our bench was huge tonight and anyone we called on came in and did their job. It was nice to see Janet and Naara step up when their numbers were called. They both were huge in the shift of momentum and scoring points for us."
ON ASHLEY EUSTON'S SIX BLOCKS
"Was great to see Ashley put up those numbers tonight. She has been working hard and it paid off tonight. Blocking is something she is known for, and we need to be able to rely on her to lead us with her presence at the net."
NOTABLES
- Friday afternoon's match was the first reverse sweep for the Bobcats since Nov. 11, 2025 when Texas State won in the same style against James Madison.
- Texas State's 10 blocks is the second time this season the team has finished in double figures.
- The Bobcats' .226 hitting percentage is the fourth highest this season.
- Ashley Euston had a career night with two career highs in blocks (6) and kills (9).
- 10 of Texas State's 14 players recorded at least one kills with Peyton McKee and Brooke Bentke finishing in double digits. McKee tallied 14 kills and Bentke recorded 12.
- Friday's match is Brooke McKee's 18th in finishing in double digit kills and is Brooke Bentke's eighth.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats finish their time in Nacogdoches, Texas with a final match against North Texas on Saturday, Sept. 12. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
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