SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State Volleyball heads to Corpus Christi, Texas to play in the Southwest Showdown hosted by A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bobcats (1-1 overall) will take on UTEP, UTRGV, and A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively.

MATCH INFO

• Thursday, Sept. 2 vs. UTEP (5 p.m. CT)
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• Friday, Sept. 3 vs. UTRGV (3:30 p.m. CT)
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• Saturday, Sept. 4 vs. A&M-Corpus Christi (2 p.m. CT)
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• The Bobcats are coming off a 1-1 weekend record after playing Oklahoma and Louisiana in the Texas State Invitational.
• Senior Brooke Bentke led the weekend with 19 kills on .229 efficiency. Bentke posted seven against the Sooners (2-0 overall) and 12 against the Ragin' Cajuns (1-2 overall).
• At the net, India Bennett had a breakout match against Louisiana, recording six total blocks including one solo. Bentke recorded five blocks while redshirt freshman Ashley Euston recorded three.
• On the back row, fifth year Jasmine Purakal posted 15 digs and Bentke tallied 11. As a team, the Bobcats finished with a rate of 8.17 digs per set.

• The Miners possess a 1-1 record with a loss to Tulsa and a five-set win against New Mexico State.
• 2026 marks a new start for UTEP as the Miners leave Conference USA after spending just over two decades in the conference. The Miners are now members of the Mountain West.
• UTEP is already making a splash in the Mountain West as the Miners were selected to finish first and received four first place votes.
• Luvina Oguntimehin sits atop the Miners' offense having recorded 24 kills in 10 sets played on a .311 hitting clip.
• Senior setter Kalia Kohler returns for her fourth year in El Paso, anchoring UTEP's offense with 51 assists so far. UTEP is currently hitting with .218 efficiency.
• At the net, UTEP has four different players with at least five blocks each through two matches. Hannah Crowe leads with seven blocks, Oguntimehin has six, while Ema Uskokovic and Landry Braziel have five each.
• Shea Bruntmeyer and Lauren Perry are tied for the lead at the service line with three aces. The Miners have eight so far.

• UTRGV was picked to finish second in the Southland Conference poll with three first place votes, just behind Stephen F. Austin who was picked to win with eight votes.
• The Vaqueros are currently 0-2 with a four-set loss to West Virginia and a three-set loss to UMBC.
• Martina Franco leads the Vaqueros in kills with 25. The junior has played in all seven sets and is averaging 3.57 kills per set. Franco is not without error, however, with a .130 hitting percentage.
• Anchoring the Vaqueros' offense is Lana Rnjak with 52 total assists. The freshman has helped UTRGV to a .123 hitting percentage with 69 total kills.
• At the net, Julianna Bryant leads with five blocks while Ema Petkovic has four. Three other Vaqueros have two blocks each. As a team, UTRGV has posted 10 blocks through two matches.
• Celianiz Cabranes has the most digs of any other Vaquero with 15, but Martina Franco is right there with her with 13. Cabranes is averaging 2.14 blocks per set while Franco is at a rate of 1.86 digs per set.

• The Islanders are 1-1 so far in 2026 after dropping a three-set match to Kansas State and a four-set match to Campbell.
• A&M-Corpus Christi was picked to finish third in the Southland Conference—just behind UTRGV—with one first place vote.
• Ally Saleh is coming off an appearance on the K-State Invitational All-Tournament team after leading the Islanders with 18 kills while posting a team-best attack percentage of .385. Saleh posted six against Kansas State and 12 against Campbell.
• Virginia Van Der Werff is anchoring the Islanders' offense alongside Saleh with 43 assists and an average of 5.38 assists per set. The junior is also no stranger to a setter dump, registering 12 kills alone over two matches.
• At the net, Saleh and Abby Huddleston lead the Islanders with four blocks each. Huddleston, however, is the more efficient blocker, posting her four blocks in four sets of play.
• On the back row, Brooklyn Jaeger leads with 33 digs. Jaeger is also coming off a 2025 SLC Libero of the Year nod. The senior is averaging 4.13 digs per set and is posting the best receiving percentage for A&M-Corpus Christi with a .971.

• UTEP
  • The Bobcats are 13-8 overall against the Miners. When playing at neutral sites, Texas State leads 2-1.
• UTRGV
  • Texas State leads 27-1 when playing against the Vaqueros. At neutral sites, the Bobcats have a perfect 5-0 record.
• A&M-Corpus Christi
  • Texas State has an 18-2 overall record against the Islanders. When playing in Corpus Christi, the Bobcats lead 2-0.

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