Texas State volleyball (20-8, 12-4 Sun Belt Conference) swept Marshall University (13-19, 5-12 Sun Belt Conference) 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night at Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama.
The Bobcats managed to dominate the Thundering Herd behind redshirt freshman outside hitter Samantha Wunsch’s team-high 11 kills.
Sophomore middle blocker Bailey Hanner also had a steady hand in the victory, with nine kills and a team-high five blocks.
The first set was tied 10-10 until Wunsch’s lone block of the match sparked a 12-0 Bobcat run, leading to the 25-14 set win. Senior setter Ryann Torres had three aces in the set.
The Bobcats went on to win the following two sets, 25-13 and 25-11, respectively, to complete the sweep over the Thundering Herd. The Bobcat defense displayed its dominance throughout the match by holding Marshall to under 15 kills.
Graduate student outside hitter K.J. Johnson, Texas State’s kill leader during the regular season, finished the night with seven kills and two blocks.
The victory advances the Bobcats to the semifinal round, where they’ll face James Madison University (20-8, 12-4 Sun Belt Conference) in a conference tournament championship rematch from last year, in which the Dukes won 3-1.
A win Saturday will advance Texas State to the championship round for the sixth consecutive year.
The match between Texas State and James Madison is set for 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
