Texas State Volleyball split its two games of the Outrigger Invitational at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. A commanding sweep of Oregon State resulted in the lone tournament win after the Bobcats dropped game two against the host school, the University of Hawaii, for the second time in one week.
Match One: Texas State v. Oregon State
Texas State earned its first sweep of the season after a 15-kill night from freshman outside hitter M.J. McCurdy against Oregon State Thursday night.
With the first set going back and forth until the 18th point, a series of attack errors by the Beavers helped the Bobcats go on a 7-1 run to secure the first set 25-22.
Texas State did not trail in the second set, in which they dominated 25-18. Fifth-year setter Ryann Torres impacted crucially in the set as she accumulated 14 assists and six digs. Torres finished the night with 36 assists and 12 digs, combining for a double-double.
The match’s final set was not close, as the beginning of the set was the only time the Beavers were within two of the Bobcats. Texas State completed the sweep in set three with a 25-20 win.
Match two: Texas State v. University of Hawaii
After losing an exhibition match to Hawaii earlier in the week, Hawaii still had Texas State’s number in a thrilling match that went the full five sets.
Junior outside hitter Caylen Alexander had the Bobcats’ number all night. She contributed nine of her 38 kills in the first set, helping Hawaii win the set 25-22.
Texas State responded with a hot start to set two, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Samantha Wunsch and McCurdy combined for 11 kills in set two, and Torres assisted on 10 of those 11. The Bobcats fast start lifted them to a 25-19 win in set two.
In a back-and-forth match, set three reflected that early until Hawaii began to run away with it midway through the set. A late push from the Bobcats didn’t provide enough, as they lost the set 21-25. However, the late comeback attempt gave Texas State momentum into set four.
At one point, set four was tied 14-14. The Bobcats remained sharp and made zero errors in the set compared to Hawaii’s eight, allowing them to prevail 25-21.
The entire match was back-and-forth, including the final and most crucial set. The score remained within two until Hawaii took a 13-10 lead on a 5-0 run. Alexander had three kills in that run, while the Bobcats contributed two attack errors that gave the Rainbow Warriors all they needed to finish the match with a 15-12 win in set five.
Next, Texas State will travel to El Paso to compete in an all-Texas tournament for its final few matches before Sun Belt play begins on Sept. 27. The Bobcats will open the tournament against the University of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The match between Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday at Memorial Gym in El Paso. The game will be available to stream on YouTube.
