Texas State volleyball swept the University of Coastal Carolina 2-0 this weekend on the road at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
Match One
The Bobcats fought through a defensive battle Friday night led by 22 kills from freshman outside hitter M.J. McCurdy and five difference-making blocks by redshirt freshman middle blocker Zenai Jethroe to secure a 3-2 win over Coastal Carolina.
The opening set went out of favor for an unorganized Texas State, conceding eight errors, contributing to a 20-25 loss and putting the Bobcats down one set.
Energy on the court shifted as Jethroe entered play in the second set, forcing a block against the Chants for her first point of the night and sparking a comeback as the Bobcats trailed 11-13.
The Bobcats maintained a lead for the remainder of the set with a collective attacking effort and a block that brought Jethroe full circle to secure the match point for Texas State’s first win of the night, 25-20.
In the third set, a steady rhythm settled in for Texas State, who captured the set 25-19 after improving on reading and shutting down plays from the Chant’s leading attacker, sophomore setter and reigning freshman of the year Jalyn Stout.
Pressure set in the fourth set when the Bobcats blew an 18-13 lead and allowed the Chants to win 26-24, leaving a final fifth set to reveal the eventual winner.
Searching for 15 more points, the Bobcats persevered against Coastal with a solidified attack from redshirt sophomore outside hitter Samantha Wunsch, who put the night to rest with a winning kill on the Chant’s home court for a 3-2 Bobcat win.
Match Two
Texas State volleyball finished its trip to Conway with its 11th sweep of the season. It made quick work of Coastal Carolina, winning 3-0 to improve to 11-3 in Sun Belt play.
The Bobcats took an early lead in set one and never looked back as they nearly led wire to wire. The Chanticleers managed to keep the set fairly close but could never fully close the distance between themselves and the Bobcats as Texas State took set one 25-21.
Set two was back-and-forth from start to finish, with the two teams going point-for-point much of the set. With the help of 18 kills, Texas State maintained a late lead and closed out set two, taking it 25-22 and going up 2-0 on Coastal.
The third and final set was sloppy for the Bobcats in some ways, as they committed eight errors. Luckily for Texas State, Coastal Carolina was even less effective, tallying only nine kills throughout the third set. Despite the less-than-ideal offensive attack, Texas State won the third set comfortably by a tally of 25-18, finishing off the sweep of Coastal Carolina and improving to 2-0 on the weekend.
Next up for the Bobcats will be a series with James Madison University.
Sitting at 11-13 overall and 6-8 in the Sun Belt, James Madison is coming off of a series split with Old Dominion University.
The upcoming series between Texas State and James Madison is the last conference series before the Sun Belt tournament gets underway.
The first match between Texas State and James Madison is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov.14, at Strahan Arena. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
