Texas State volleyball came out victorious in its four-set match against Troy at Trojan Arena Thursday night.
Set one started off with both teams trading leads until 6-6, when Troy pulled ahead, due to their strong presence at the service line. Troy ultimately emerged victorious in set one with a score of 25-19. The Trojans’ offense dominated this set with a hitting percentage of .370 compared to the Bobcats’ .172.
Although set two saw a Trojan lead of 4-0, Texas State fought back to tie the score at 5-5. The remainder of the set saw the two teams trading points, but ultimately, a tip from Samantha Wunsch scored the set-winning point for the Bobcats. Despite Texas State hitting a .194 to Troy’s .295, the Bobcats won the second set 25-23.
The third set began at a breakneck pace with multiple tied points until Troy took the lead at 6-5. Troy was successfully aiming high at the Texas State block, scoring numerous points off of touch calls against the Bobcats. The set was filled with long rallies and hustle plays from both sides of the net. The Bobcats came out of a timeout down 11-15 strong with two back-to-back block assists from Jade Defraeye and Nina Moorer. The two teams continued to trade points, causing the set to go to extra points. Ultimately, a service ace from Isabella Andrews would decide the set for Texas State 27-25.
The Bobcats came out swinging in set four, helping them see their largest lead of the match at 14-8. However, the Trojans battled back and closed the gap at 16-16, due to two service aces from Troy’s Kalina Callilo. Both teams traded leads until a kill from Samantha Wunsch took the game to match point, and a service ace from Anna Blaine earned Texas State the win. Despite the close game, Texas State won set four 25-23 and won the match 3-1.
After today’s four-set victory against Troy, Texas State is 7-7 on the season and 2-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
STAT LEADERS
· Kills – Samantha Wunsch (14)
· Assists – Anna Blaine (39)
· Blocks – Jade Defraeye (9)
· Digs – Maggie Walsh (9)
SCORES BY SET
· 1st | Texas State 19, Troy 25
· 2nd | Texas State 25, Troy 23
· 3nd | Texas State 27, Troy 25
· 2nd | Texas State 25, Troy 23
UP NEXT
Texas State will play Troy at Trojan Arena again tomorrow, Oct. 2. The match will start at 6 pm and be streamed on ESPN+. The Bobcats will then head home to play South Alabama on Oct. 9 and 10.
