Texas State splits first two matches of Bobcat Invitational

Following a three set sweep Friday morning, Texas State tried to continue the momentum against Ole Miss in its second match of the Bobcat Invitational.

Unlike the morning match, Texas State got off to a quick start including several five-point leads. Despite leading the Rebels since the start of the match, the Bobcats dropped the final three points and lost the first set. Ole Miss kept the momentum during the second, handing the maroon and gold a two-set deficit. The ‘Cats would answer back in the third set, winning narrowly 25-21. Ultimately, Ole Miss was too much to handle as the Bobcats dropped the fourth and final set 25-18.

After the match, Texas State head coach Sean Huiet described the night as frustrating and hopes to see better passes in the future. Coach Huiet believed the team was out of system and needed more production from its outsider hitters.

“We had five outside hitters between them (who) had 12 kills, and that flat out just is not good,” Huiet said. “And so we need kids to show up night in and night out. We need to know who we’re going to be able to trust. I thought Janell had a great night.”

Graduate outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald led the team with 19 kills and 36 attempts.  Coach Huiet also mentioned the performance from Tessa Marshall, who ended the match with nine kills and three total blocks.

The Bobcats tried to mix up their lineup later in the match by including players like graduate Lauren Teske, junior Daleigh Ellison and freshman Maggie Walsh. Coach Huiet hopes introducing new faces will allow for more production while also enjoying the depth this season’s team provides.

“We’re asking kids to be consistent,” Huiet said. “And that outside position right now is where we’re having kids play a really good match or two and then (take one) off, you know, and it’s nice to have the depth. But like I said, we gave five kids a shot to play outside tonight (and) we only had 12 kills between them. And so we need to rely on them just a little bit more especially when we’re passing like we did. You know if we pass better, we can do some other things (to) get our middles maybe a little bit more involved, that helps. But we just needed to give some other kids some chances to see if they could get some kills.”

Despite the loss, Strahan Arena was energized throughout the night thanks to a turnout of over 1,200 fans. Texas State’s match against the Rebels was themed as a blackout and fans were handed towels while the ‘Cats wore all black uniforms. Coach Huiet said the team was happy to return home after opening the first six matches on the road.

“It’s so nice to be in Strahan and you get to sleep in your own bed, we get our game day routines,” Huiet said. “I knew the crowd would be good. And so we were glad we could give them some. But we just want to get them wins. We wanted to give them a little more. But I thought we put out a pretty good show for the most part. So hopefully they’ll be back.”

The Bobcats will be back in action on Sept. 11 when they host Wake Forest in the final match of the Bobcat Invitational. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m.