Texas State volleyball secured a winning weekend by taking two out of three games at the Rice Invitational to open its season. Here are three takeaways from their season-opening tournament this past weekend.
The program may have found another stellar freshman
In 2023, redshirt freshman outside hitter Samantha Wunsch put on a show in her opening campaign as a Bobcat, leading to a First-Team All-Conference selection. Now, new teammate and fellow freshman outside hitter Mary Jane “M.J.” McCurdy is playing like she wants to be the next freshman All-Conference selection this season.
McCurdy announced her presence to Bobcat Nation in style during the Rice Invitational. McCurdy led the team in kills on day one of the tournament, with 16 against Houston Christian and 13 against Texas Southern, respectively. She currently leads the team in service aces as well, with three from this past weekend.
On a young team, upperclassmen shine
Texas State only carries five true upperclassmen on its roster for the 2024 season. On a team this young, the veterans need to lead, and that’s just what they did at the Rice Invitational.
Senior libero Alyssa Ortega, senior setter Ryann Torres and junior middle blocker Jade Defraeye proved that there’s value in experience this past weekend. Torres led the team with 94 assists over the weekend, 77 more than the player with the second most assists on the team. Ortega leads in digs with 37 and Defraeye in blocks with seven.
Multiple offensive contributors are needed to win
The main difference between Texas State’s two wins and their one loss was the offensive play.
In games one and two on the weekend, the Bobcats had multiple players with double-digit kills in each game, with four in double-digits against Houston Christian and two against Texas Southern. However, game three against Rice saw only Wunsch surpass double-digit kills, while second on the team had four, respectively.
