Texas State volleyball began the UTEP Tournament with a sweep over Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, marking Head Coach Sean Huiet’s 100th career win.
The Bobcats still had two more matches left in the tournament as they looked to stay in the win column.
Match Two: Texas State v. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The second matchup of the tournament for the Bobcats was a commanding sweep where they never allowed UTRGV to score 20 points in a set.
Texas State started fast in the first set gaining a 5-0 lead. The Bobcats played aggressively and consistently in this set, with 14 of their 25 points coming from kills. Those 14 points off kills would equal UTRGV’s total set points. The set ended with a dominant Bobcats run as they claimed set one 25-14.
Set two saw the Vaqueros’ best offensive performance as they forced the Bobcats to commit seven errors–– their most of any set. Unfortunately for UTRGV, redshirt sophomore and freshman outside hitters Samantha Wunsch and M.J. McCurdy combined for 10 kills in the set. Both contributions allowed Texas State to take the set 25-19.
Set three saw the Bobcats at their best with five service aces and 16 kills in the set. UTRGV trailed 4-5 until Texas State caught fire and went on a 9-0 run to take a ten-point lead. McCurdy contributed three of the five aces in the final set. The Vaqueros went back and forth with the Bobcats to try and come back, but the offense was too much as Texas State completed the sweep with a 25-13 victory in set three.
Match Three: Texas State v. University of Texas at El Paso
In the tournament’s final match, Texas State fell to the host school for the third time in its third and final tournament this season. The Bobcats competed with UTEP in the first two sets but ran out of gas in the third set and got swept 3-0. The Miners’ hitting percentage was nearly double the Bobcats’ in the match.
Set one was a thriller that went well past 25 points as UTEP claimed the tough victory 34-32. The back-and-forth battle was kill-dominant, as the teams combined for 39 kills in the set. Texas State gained a 7-6 lead, but a 6-0 run from the Miners gave them an edge early. Down 16-22, a series of kills from McCurdy notched the set at 25. McCurdy’s attack error gave UTEP the two-point lead to secure the set. In this set, there were 14 tie scores.
The second set was another close back-and-forth. No team gained more than a three-point lead, but unlike set one, where the Bobcats lead in kills, UTEP’s kill number separated them in this set. One service error by Texas State and two service aces from the Miners hurt the Bobcats as UTEP took set two 25-23.
UTEP played sharp in set three as they only committed two errors to Texas State’s seven. After two tough sets, the Bobcats lost their competitive grip. The Miners dominated in kills again with 15 to the Bobcats eight. Offensively, Texas State’s hitting percentage of 0.042 proved to be the difference. UTEP would complete the sweep with a 25-13 victory to finish the tournament.
Next, Texas State will start conference play against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
The match between Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, at Earl K. Long Gym in Lafayette, Louisiana. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
