Bobcats embracing changes in 2020, aim for three-peat

Sean Huiet’s shirt was soaked with sweat at the end of Monday’s practice.

It’s not uncommon to find Huiet like that after a workout. He regularly participated in Texas State’s intrasquad scrimmages during his 14 years as an assistant coach with the Bobcats. He’s a tough opponent, too, typically playing as one side’s setter. He doesn’t dive on the ground to get after digs but has a knack for reaching for the ball his feet to kick it back up into the air, keeping the play alive.

It is uncommon to see a head coach be that hands-on with their team — regardless of the sport. Yet, that’s what Huiet knows best and, on Monday, that’s what the team needed from him.

“It has been so good for my soul to be back in the gym and be back with the team,” Huiet said. “We keep telling (the players) with all the COVID craziness and everything going on, we’re mixing people in trying different lineups and we’ve got to be ready for anything.”

There is no living up to Karen Chisum. The shoes the former Texas State head coach left for Huiet to fill took 40 years to cobble together. Chisum’s trips to the NCAA tournament in her final two seasons produced a combined 51-16 overall record, moving her up to No. 17 on the college women’s volleyball coaches’ all-time wins list with 919.

So Sean Huiet isn’t trying to be Karen Chisum. He said one of the best pieces of advice he’s gotten since taking over the maroon and gold program was to just be himself. So that’s what he’s tried to do. He hasn’t let his new title affect him much. He hasn’t changed how he interacts with his players. He hasn’t stopped sweating out scrimmages and kicking the ball up in the air. He’s just tried to be Sean Huiet.

“He’s doing really good. He’s really getting in and helping, like on and off the court,” senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott said. “He’s younger, so I think that he has new and fresh ideas for us. And it’s just fun being with him.”

A head coaching change won’t alter the Bobcats’ expectations for this season. They still want to three-peat in the Sun Belt tournament, a feat that has not been pulled off in the conference since Little Rock claimed the crown during the 1996-98 seasons.

Winning the championship this year will be more challenging than ever. Texas State currently has just six non-conference matches on its schedule. League play will consist of three-match series against Arkansas State, Little Rock, Louisiana and Louisiana-Monroe and one four-match series with UT-Arlington. The team will not get to face any of the Sun Belt East Division schools until the conference tournament, which is currently scheduled to begin Nov. 20 at Troy.

“I’m glad we got preseason matches in, so we can prepare for conference,” Scott said. “We still have the same goal, even though we’re doing all this during a pandemic. But we’re just really doing all that we can. We can’t predict what happens, so we’re just working hard, regardless.”

Texas State didn’t have much turnover on the roster during the offseason, losing just four seniors from last year’s squad. But the team does have to find ways to replicate the group’s production. Outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey led the Bobcats in kills per set in each of the past two years and defensive specialist Micah Dinwiddie became the program’s all-time leader in digs last season. Neither is around to lean on anymore.

The team was still voted to win the league’s West Division in the 2020 Sun Belt Coaches Poll with 69 points and 10 first-place ballots. Scott, junior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald and reigning conference Setter of the Year Emily DeWalt were all selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. But it’s going to take some adjustments on the court to replicate the success of the last two seasons.

“It’s always hard to replace (what the seniors brought to the court). But it’s always fun to watch who’s gonna take that spot or who’s gonna take that leadership role,” Huiet said. “And so that’s what this whole camp has been all about.”

Fitzgerald will likely step up as Texas State’s primary scorer in 2020, but the team will need to find its next best options. Junior Kenedi Rutherford filled in effectively for Fitzgerald early in the 2019 season while Fitzgerald was sidelined with an ankle injury and Huiet said Rutherford had a “really good” fall camp. Sophomores Caitlan Buettner, Courtney Heiser and Lauren Teske all showed potential with their opportunities on the court last season as well.

None saw the floor consistently, though, each averaging less than two sets per match and Huiet anticipates changing the team’s offensive approach a bit.

“I think some things that people will see that’s a little different is we’re going to run our middles a lot,” Huiet said. “We’re going to be a little different where we’re not going to set every ball out to someone on the pin. But you know, Janell is ready to take over that role, she can get us a lot of kills per set. But I just think we’re gonna look different.”

Huiet said the middle blocker position has been one of the biggest battles in camp. Scott led the Bobcats last season with 1.1 blocks per set and a .334 hitting percentage, recorded just one blocking error all year and set a Sun Belt tournament record by rejecting 10 shots in a three-set match against Troy on Nov. 23, 2019. Junior Jillian Slaughter has been productive as well, averaging 0.83 blocks per set and ranking fourth on the team with a .268 hitting percentage last year. Both will likely see plenty of playing time this season.

“But (sophomore) Tessa Marshall does not want to be sitting on the bench and so we are looking at, even, a couple different ways to do the lineup to try to get all three of them out there,” Huiet said. “They’re battling each other every day. I would say, on that starting side, it revolves, probably, the most of any position. And so, those three are really putting in a lot of the work but also really excited to try to battle for that spot.”

Texas State’s back row should still be one of the Sun Belt’s toughest after allowing opponents to hit at a league-low .165% clip last year. 

Brooke Johnson, who converted from setter to libero midway through 2019, joins Scott as the only other senior on the team and remains one of the Bobcats’ top energizers. She’ll be joined by junior defensive specialist Kayla Granado, who Scott said has significantly improved this offseason.

“I think that me and Brooke are doing a good job as seniors to keep everyone accountable and just keep everyone at ease. Like, even this during a crazy time, we’re still having the same mission and we still have the same goals,” Scott said. “(Granado’s) freshman year, she came in, she was very quiet. But I feel like she’s warmed up now and she’s really grinding. And I notice it.”

The team starts the 2020 season with a doubleheader on Friday in Nacogdoches with matches against Central Arkansas at 10:30 a.m. and Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m.

Huiet said he doubted at times that Texas State would have a season at all this year. Even though the NCAA canceled the 2020 national tournament, even though the association hasn’t confirmed the tournament will be rescheduled in the spring and even though Huiet didn’t have as much time to figure out what outfits he would wear on game days as he would have liked, he’s glad it’s still happening.

“Do I think we’re gonna win the Sun Belt next weekend? Absolutely not,” Huiet said. “We know it’s going to take progress through the season to get us where we want to be in November. But the way this group is kind of handling everything and watching them … it’s been really, really awesome to see as a coach.”

Scott’s glad, too.

“I’m really excited,” Scott said. “Last year, best year.”