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Karen Chisum needed feedback.
Texas State had just been outscored 75-46 on its home floor by Rice in a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 3. The loss stung more than usual. The Bobcats beat the Owls, 3-1, just 10 months earlier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Austin on Nov. 29, 2018. But here they were, losing their third-straight match and ninth-straight set.
The team retreated to its locker room. The head coach wanted to know where things went wrong.
“We stayed in the locker room for about an hour and a half just talking. Not yelling, not screaming. Talking,” Chisum said. “And (the players) didn't have an answer. They did not have an answer. There was just no energy, no competitiveness, no sense of urgency that night.”
Chisum knew something needed to change. She just wasn’t sure what.
The problem corrected itself. The next day the team loaded up for its flight to Long Beach, California. The energy between players was different. They knew it was their responsibility to break out of the slump.
“I felt it in the airport. You know, I felt it when we got to Long Beach,” Chisum said. “It was a different group of kids.”
Texas State matched up with Long Beach State in its first match at the Mizuno Classic on September 5. The game also served as Janell Fitzgerald’s return to the court. The sophomore outside hitter had been sidelined with a right ankle injury she sustained four points into the Bobcats’ season opener against Liberty on Aug. 30 inside Strahan Arena.
“I was automatically super upset. I was so mad. I was more upset because I couldn't do anything to control it,” Fitzgerald said. “Initially, I was like, 'I'm OK, I'm OK.' And then I tried to get up, walk around, it didn't work … I literally broke into tears because I was just so disappointed. I wanted to play so bad.”
The team held a .057 percent attacking rate in the three matches Fitzgerald was out. It jumped to .215 in her first appearance back on the court, as Texas State pulled out a 3-2 win over Long Beach State.
Fitzgerald said the time off has actually helped her game. She was able to see from the bench what roles the team needs her to fill. And with her ankle still not back to full strength, she’s been forced to get more creative with her offense.
“I get to work my shots and work different ways to score rather than swinging through at the ball every single time like I used to,” Fitzgerald said.
The Bobcats are 4-2 since Fitzgerald’s return. The most recent win, a 3-0 sweep over Northwestern State on Friday at the Texas A&M Invitational, counted as Chisum’s 900th as a head coach. She’s only the seventh NCAA Division I coach to reach the milestone and the fifth across any division to do it all with one team.
Chisum gives most of the credit to the people who have surrounded her. She’ll remind you that she hasn’t played a single point of any of those matches.
But to her, the past wins don’t matter as much. The next win does. She couldn’t recall who she played or any other details about the first match she won — a 3-0 sweep over UTSA in 1980 (Texas State’s record books do not list the exact date or location). But she definitely knows who she’s playing next.
The Bobcats (5-5) will host the Roadrunners (6-4) in the opening match of the 2019 Creeds & Crests Classic inside Strahan Arena at 6:30 p.m.
“I don't feel anything besides I'm looking for (win No.) 901. We're focused on UTSA, which is 901,” Chisum said. “I'm just fortunate that I've been able to stay here as long as I have been, and been surrounded by good people and be able to represent — in a positive fashion — Texas State University. That's my passion, being able to bring positive vibes to this place.”
