Texas State volleyball’s season ended at the hands of the University of Missouri on Thursday, Dec. 5, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. Despite three hard-fought sets by the Bobcats, Mizzou ultimately won the match with a 3-0 sweep.
Texas State came out slow in the first set, showing some possible nerves as errors and poor spacing gave Mizzou the early lead in the match’s opening points. Hitting at just a .062 clip and being out-killed by the Tigers 16-9 spelled doom in set one for the Bobcats, as they dropped the set 25-16.
Despite a rough start in the first set that ultimately led to a deficit too large to overcome, Texas State showed more poise and played much better through the back half of the first set. This was especially evident in the second set, as the Bobcats came out much calmer and stronger.
Set two was back and forth throughout. The two sides had 15 ties and six lead changes. Texas State was the first to 15 in the set and led 15-14. From that score, however, Mizzou rattled off a 7-2 run to take a 21-17 lead. Mizzou failed to relinquish the lead from that point and claimed the second set 25-22.
Despite being down 2-0, Texas State played with its hair on fire for much of set three, leading most of the way and by as much as six at one point. However, the Tigers stayed in the hunt, eventually coming back to knot the score at 18-18. After tying it, Mizzou finished the set on a 7-4 run to claim the set 25-22. What started as a promising set for the Bobcats ended up being their final set of the season as Mizzou finished off the sweep.
“It’s frustrating. That was not our best performance,” Texas State Head Coach Sean Huiet said. “When you get to the NCAA tournament, only one team ends their season with a win. It’s one of those times where you want to be playing your best, but like we told the team, we’re so proud of them. This season has been so much fun and tonight’s match doesn’t define how our season went.”
Texas State finished its season 22-9 after the loss to Mizzou. This marked the Bobcats’ 14th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their fifth in the last six years.
