CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas State Volleyball bounced back in resounding fashion on Saturday in their 3-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Four different Bobcats (2-3 overall) finished in double-digit kills and also finished with hitting percentages over .300.
On the day, Texas State finished with 63 kills, 56 assists, five blocks, and a total of 62 digs against the Islanders (0-4 overall) led by
India Bennett with 19 kills. Senior
Brooke Bentke also posted a career-high 15 kills on the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Looking to bounce back from the past two days, the Bobcats did that and then some on Saturday after defeating the Islanders 3-1 with a total of 63 kills on .346 efficiency.
Set 1: 25-12
The two teams traded blows in the early points of the first set—with A&M-Corpus Christi tying the score twice—but the Bobcats went on a 4-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and never looked back. Bentke was perfect in the first set of the day, posting a 1.000 hitting percentage with four kills on four swings. Sophomore
Peyton McKee matched Bentke's kill total with four of her own.
Leading the offense, however, was Bennett who tallied five kills on .300 efficiency. Not only was the offense strong in the first frame, but the defense was just as powerful with three of the five total blocks of the match occurring during the set. Last but certainly not least, the Bobcats converted on 11 of their 12 sideout opportunities for a whopping 91% sideout percentage.
Set 2: 25-20
The second set was the Islanders' only win of the day as they simply outhit the Bobcats, 19 kills to Texas State's 12. A&M-Corpus Christi also converted their 19 kills on 29 attempts for a .586 hitting percentage.
Set 3: 25-18
Down but certainly not out, Texas State responded in the third frame with 16 kills and limited the Islanders to a measly .172 hitting percentage and eight kills. Down by as many as five, the Bobcats clawed their way back to the lead after taking a timeout with the score in the Islanders' favor. 13 of the Bobcats' 16 kills of the set came after the timeout, led by junior
Caelyn Robel with four kills.
Around the middle of the frame, Texas State went on a 12-2 scoring run—including back-to-back service aces from Bentke—to lead by as many as five. From there, the Bobcats continued to pressure the Islanders as the home team only scored two of their final five points with kills. The third was a quieter set at the net for the Bobcats with only one block, but that block was a solo stuff from Bennett for her first of the day.
Set 4: 25-16
The final set of the day was the most impressive as Bennett recorded seven kills, Bentke and Robel posted four, and McKee rounded out the Bobcats' offensive efforts with three. Texas State's offense simply overpowered the Islanders as they tallied 19 kills to A&M-Corpus Christi's 13. Not a single hitter posted less than a .400 hitting percentage while seven of the 10 on the court recorded at least one dig led by junior
Camryn Kimes with six. Junior
Anna Blaine also had her best setting performance of the day with 16 assists and the Bobcats finished with a match-high .486 [19-2-35] single-set hitting percentage.
FROM HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET
ON SATURDAY'S WIN
"We needed that win. After Friday night's five set loss to UTEP we wanted to rebound and get back to playing our style from start to finish, but we didn't respond like we wanted to versus UTRGV. Today we had another chance and we took advantage. With a lot of new faces in the lineup, we are looking for more consistency and trying to build on each match. All three teams we played this weekend will win a lot of ball games and they helped us get better and figure out the identity of this group."
ON INDIA BENNETT AND BROOKE BENTKE BEING NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
"Brooke has been a rock. She's leading us in so many ways. It's a testament to the work she's put in. She has been in our program for four years and has always been more of a role player. She didn't transfer, she didn't quit. She came in during every end of year meeting and asked 'what do you need from me? And how can I make the team better?' So, to see it paying off for her is very rewarding as a coach."
"I told India last night and again before the match, this team needs you to be 'that girl'. We need your fearless attitude, and we need to be able to set you more balls. 19 kills hitting .424 while getting the most attempts (33) as a middle is big time. I'm very proud of her performance all weekend, but specifically today I thought she was the difference maker."
NOTABLES
- Texas State impoves to 19-2 all-time against the Islanders and 10-2 when playing in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- With her 48 assists, Anna Blaine crossed into the 1,000 assists club. Blaine's 48 assists on Saturday was also the first time in her career that she recorded more than 40 assists in a match.
- Saturday marked Brooke Bentke's first double-double as a Bobcat. The senior finished with 15 kills and 12 digs.
- Saturday's match was Peyton McKee's 17th finishing in double-digit kills (12). It was also Caelyn Robel's eighth (12 kills), India Bennett's 16th (19 kills), and Bentke's sixth (15 kills).
- India Bennett led the offense with 19 kills.
- Both Brooke Bentke and Peyton McKee finished with a team-high two blocks.
- 63 kills are the most for Texas State since their match against Arkansas State on Nov. 11, 2025 (61 kills).
- Both Brooke Bentke and India Bennett were named Southwest Showdown All-Tournament Team members.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats continue their Texas tour with another tournament hosted by Stephen F. Austin, Sept. 10-12. The first match is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 against SFA and first serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
