Texas State volleyball found itself on the right side of the latest edition of the I-35 Rivalry after a gritty 3-1 victory over the University of Texas–San Antonio Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in front of a record crowd of 1,246.

An improbable first-set comeback accompanied by quality offensive and defensive play gave the Bobcats the push they needed to down the Roadrunners.

Set one didn’t look promising for Texas State, going down 24-16 at one point. However, the Bobcats put together a 10-0 run to steal set one from the Roadrunners 26-24. Texas State made numerous late-set key blocks to sneak out of set one with the lead.

UTSA got out to an early seven-point lead in set two, which then ballooned to an 11-point lead after errors and sloppy play from the Bobcats. The second set momentum never shifted as UTSA went on to take set two 25-19.

The Roadrunners again jumped out to the early lead in set three, going up 10-4. However, Texas State dug itself out of the six-point hole to knot the score at 13-13. From there, the two sides traded points until it was all tied at 23. Junior middle blocker Bailey Hanner then took matters into her own hands and closed out set three with back-to-back kills to put the Bobcats up 2-1.

Texas State then left no doubt after a dominant set four performance, winning the decider by a 25-16 tally and picking up the match victory.

Freshman outside hitter Mary Jane “M.J.” McCurdy continued her solid campaign with 12 kills and fellow freshman outside hitter Caelyn Emmerling announced her presence with a team-leading 14 kills on the night.

Texas State now focuses on a big early season matchup with undefeated in-state rival Texas A&M University.

The match between Texas State and Texas A&M is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at Reed Arena in College Station. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.