Bobcats mount epic rally to kickoff Creeds & Crest Classic
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State volleyball team earned yet another come-from-behind victory, this time a 3-2 (25-27, 23-25, 26-24, 25-13, 15-11) triumph over rival UTSA Thursday night inside Strahan Coliseum.
The match kicked off the annual Creeds & Crests Classic, while also serving as the home opener for the Bobcats (5-2). TXST played in front of 1,062 raucous fans who were treated to an epic five-set thriller.
Junior Madison Daigle recorded her first career double-double after posting career highs in both kills (16) and blocks (10). Sophomore Megan Porter doubled up for the third time this year with 24 digs and 15 kills, while true freshman Brooke Johnson (25) and senior Erin Hoppe (21) dished out 46 assists.
Senior Jaliyah Bolden recorded 12 kills and a career-high-tying nine blocks, while sophomore Konner Wood set a new career best with 10 digs. Classmate Mattie Adams added 15 digs of her own.
All the key breaks went by way of the visiting squad through the opening two frames. The Roadrunners won the first set by a 27-25 margin before securing the second frame 25-23. UTSA was able to take the first by winning 13 of the final 17 points after TXST had built a 21-14 lead. The Bobcats held two set points, but both were swatted away.
Texas State again had a chance to win a period, this time holding a 22-20 lead in the second. UTSA, however, won five of the last six points to close out the game and take a commanding 2-0 advantage.
The Bobcats yet again found a late lead in a frame, with the scoreboard reading 24-21 in the third as they looked to get a set of their own in the bag. UTSA scored the next three points to notch proceedings 24-24, but an overturned call via replay challenge and a kill from sophomore Amy Pflughaupt on the next two points sent the match deeper into the night.
The Roadrunners dropped a step in the fourth set, as TXST cruised to the 25-13 win. They would not go quietly in the fifth, however, as they initially led by 4-1 and then 7-4 margins. Texas State inevitably had just a bit too much firepower for its I-35 rival, as the home side claimed 11 of the final 15 points to keep its win streak alive.
Brianna McCullouch totaled a double-double with a match-high 23 kills and 12 digs for UTSA (0-6). Amanda Gonzales battled through an injury suffered midway through the match to register 40 assists and 13 digs. Emily Ramirez (21) and Shelby Williams (10) both added double-figure digs.
Texas State paced the evening in kills (58-50), attack percentage (.161-.056), assists (55-45), digs (92-79) and blocks (20-11). Both teams registered six service aces.
The victory marked the fourth-straight for the maroon and gold. Texas State was faced with at least 2-1 deficits in three of those four triumphs.
The two sides will meet one more time this season, with that duel set to occur at 1 p.m. Sept. 16 in Waco, Texas, as part of the Baylor Classic.
The Creeds & Crests Classic continues with four matches Friday. The docket is slated to feature Houston Baptist vs. UMass Lowell (11 a.m.), SMU vs. UTSA (1 p.m.), UTSA vs. Houston Baptist (5 p.m.) and SMU vs. Texas State (7 p.m.).
Red Wolves Volleyball Falls in Four at UCA
CONWAY, Ark. (9/7/17) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad won the first set, but couldn’t solve Central Arkansas after as the Sugar Bears defeated the Red Wolves 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 23-25, 11-25) in both teams’ first match of the UCA Classic Thursday night at the Farris Center.
Both teams played the first six points evenly before A-State (3-5) took a 10-6 edge on a Peyton Uhlenhake kill. Central Arkansas (7-0) battled back to within 13-12, but an 8-3 run for the Red Wolves, capped by a block from Jessica Uke and Drew Jones, put the visitors in front 21-15 and forced a UCA timeout. However, the Sugar Bears couldn’t regroup and A-State claimed a 25-17 set one victory.
A-State began set two strongly by gaining a 10-6 lead, but the Sugar Bears took the lead at 16-15 on a kill by Abbie Harry and went on the even the match with a 25-20 victory. The Red Wolves went ahead 6-3 early in set three, but remained close throughout with the score tied 23-23 after a May kill. However, two errors (one service and one attack) by A-State gave UCA a 25-23 set three win.
The Red Wolves began set four strongly with a 3-0 run, finished on a block by Anna Murphy and Timber Terrell, but little else went right for A-State in the game. Central Arkansas grabbed a 9-8 edge it wouldn’t relinquish and ended on a 16-3 run to win 25-11 for a 3-1 match win.
“First set was fine for us, but then it went bad in set two and we couldn’t recover the rest of the match,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “We’re going through some changes right now and they got us stuck in a couple of rotations the last three sets that we couldn’t get out of. UCA has a good squad and we knew it coming in. We will work hard to bounce back tomorrow.”
Jones led the team with 17 kills, while May added 15. Tatum Ticknor registered 23 digs to lead the team, while Lindsay Cline ended in double digits with 11. Terrell led A-State with four blocks, but UCA out blocked A-State 12-7 on the night. Samantha Anderson led Central Arkansas with 22 kills as the Sugar Bears defeated A-State for just the second time in 25 tries.
Arkansas State resumes action in the UCA Classic Friday against UCF. First serve is at 5:30 p.m.
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.