TXST VOLLEYBALL
Texas State bounced back from their loss on Friday to sweep the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 3-0 [31-29, 25-19, 25-18] on Saturday.
The win improves Texas State’s overall record to 67 and their conference record to 1-1 while Louisiana falls to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
“I’m really proud of this group,” Head Coach Sean Huiet said. “We had some talks last night and we had some talks this morning about where we are at. We know we’re in conference and we’re going to get everyone’s best. I thought Louisiana punched yesterday and we didn’t have a punch back. So we challenged [Texas State] today to have a little gumption in them and give a punch back.”
The first set was a fierce battle between the Bobcats and the Cajuns which saw 16 ties and eight lead changes between the two teams.
Towards the end of the first set, both teams were tied at 25-25 leading to free volleyball. The Bobcats went up 27-26 to reach set point but a short 3-1 run by the Cajuns put themselves up at 29-28 for set point.
Following a Texas State timeout, the Bobcats regrouped in order to stave off the Cajuns and win the critical set.
“It was kind of a message of not just composure, but competitiveness,” Senior outside hitter Samantha Wunsch said. ‘Instead of playing on our heels and playing defense, going at [the Cajuns] and playing offense. Just having each other’s backs and coverage and just as teammates.”
Junior outside hitter Nina Moorer agreed, adding that the team needed to trust each other in order to win the critical points.
“I feel like it was a lot of just trust in each other and trust in what we can do,” Moorer said. “Just allowing everybody to go out there, rip some balls and dig some balls. Just knowing that we’re behind them, covering them and we’re going to fight to get that ball off the ground.”
The Bobcats rallied to tie the game at 29-29 following a kill from senior Bailey Hanner before Texas State went up 30-29 after a kill from Wunsch. Wunsch later ended the first set with another kill to put the Bobcats up 3129 over the Ragin Cajuns to take the first set.
Following the thrilling set, Texas State was able to use the momentum to put away the Cajuns for good.
“Obviously set one felt great, and it was an incredibly competitive match,” Wunsch said. “We knew that Louisiana would come back today with all kinds of fight. So them playing well and us still being able to overcome that, especially in such a tight set, gave us the confidence for the rest of the match.”
Texas State bounced back from their Friday loss to sweep the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 3-0 [31-29, 25-19, 25-18]. The Bobcats will look to continue their success on the road against Troy this Thursday. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
The Cajuns jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the second set only for the Bobcats to answer back with a 11-2 run to go up 15-12.
The Cajuns were unable to overcome the run as Texas State closed out the second set on a 7-2 run to win 25-19.
The Bobcats completed the sweep by winning the third set 25-18 as Texas State claimed their first conference win of the season.
Wunsch and Moorer led the team in kills with 14 apiece followed by Hanner with eight. Sophomore setter Anna Blaine led the team in assists with 39.
On defense Wunsch and senior Maggie Walsh led the team in digs with 13 each as Wunsch completed the double-double. Hanner led the team in blocks with six.
Texas State is back on the road this weekend as the Bobcats travel to Troy to face off with the Trojans. Troy enters the game with a 2-8 overall record and a 0-2 conference record after being swept by South Alabama last weekend.
Game 1 for Texas State-Troy is set for 6 p.m. Thursday while Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. Friday. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Junior outside hitter Nina Moorer had a team high 14 kills for the Bobcats alongside junior Samantha Wunsch who also had 14 kills. Moorer is second in kills this season for Texas State with 107. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
