2019 SMDR Team of the Year: Texas State Volleyball

The Bobcats’ 2019 was eerily similar to 2018.

Texas State Volleyball began last year with three-straight losses, failing to win a single set. The team began this year beating Liberty, 3-2, then dropping its next three matches, losing nine of 10 sets.

The 2018 squad bounced back inside Strahan Arena with four consecutive wins in the Creeds & Crests Classic. The 2019 team went 4-2 in the Mizuno Classic and Texas A&M Invitational, then went undefeated in the Creeds & Crests, taking three matches.

Last year’s Bobcats tested themselves against heavy-hitters like No. 16 Kentucky and No. 6 Texas. This year’s Bobcats did the same against juggernauts like No. 14 USC and No. 2 Baylor.

Texas State dominated its conference schedule last year, falling in just one match in Sun Belt Play. This year’s group lost just two.

The 2018 team picked up two wins in the league tournament to secure their first Sun Belt title since 2013. The 2019 team picked up two wins in the league tournament to secure their first Sun Belt title since 2018.

Both teams received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Both teams were placed in the Austin regional and played in Gregory Gym. 

The only significant difference between the two teams was where their seasons ended. Texas State made history last season by defeating Rice in the opening round, 3-1, reaching the second round for the first time in program history. The Bobcats came short of that this year, falling to UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 5 in the first round, 3-1. The team finished this season at 24-9 overall and 14-2 in conference play.

The maroon and gold were chosen as the Daily Record’s 2018 Team of the Year. Keeping with the theme of this season, Texas State Volleyball repeats as the Daily Record’s 2019 Team of the Year.

Honorable Mentions:

Texas State Baseball

The Bobcats had their best season since 2011. The team got off to a strong start, building an 11-6 record just before conference play began.

Texas State flashed its ceiling beating No. 12 Texas A&M in College Station on April 9, 5-3, but also displayed its floor three days later at Georgia Southern in a 12-0 drubbing. The team bounced back from the loss to the Eagles with a 10-game winning streak.

Heading into the final series of the season, the Bobcats needed one win to claim a share of their first-ever regular season Sun Belt championship and two to take the crown out right. The maroon and gold dropped the first home game against UT Arlington on May 16, 5-3, then swept the Mavericks in a doubleheader the next day, 10-9 and 13-11.

The team entered into the conference tournament with the No. 1 seed but fell to No. 10-seed Louisiana Monroe in the opening round, 8-0, and No. 5-seed Coastal Carolina in an elimination game 13-4. Texas State’s season came to an end when the Bobcats did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, being named one of the first four teams to miss the cut. The team finished the year at 36-20 overall and 20-10 in Sun Belt play.

San Marcos Academy Football

The Bears saw their growth immediately. In San Marcos Academy’s 2018 season-opener, the team fell at home against Charlotte, 26-12. This season, the team turned the tables on the Trojans, shutting them out on the road on Aug. 29, 28-0.

It was the first game of a 5-1 non-district season. The Bears held a point differential of plus-13.7 across the six games and saw their confidence grow entering into district play. A 20-7 win against New Braunfels John Paul II inside Ingram Stadium on Oct. 18 secured SMA’s spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The team’s season ended in the first round of the postseason, falling to The Woodlands Christian Academy in Austin on Nov. 15, 48-7.

Texas State Track & Field

The Bobcats’ men’s and women’s teams both claimed gold medals in 2019.

The women’s team ran away with the Sun Belt Indoor Championships, posting 128 points for first place and beating second-place Arkansas State by 36 points. The men’s team took bronze with 119 points and was just a half-point shy of tying the Red Wolves for second place.

The Bobcat men made up for it at the Outdoor Championships, winning the team title with 122.5 points. The women’s team came short of claiming its third consecutive outdoor crown, finishing in second place with 128 points.