Texas State splits opening Sun Belt matches at Troy and South Alabama

Texas State split its first pair of Sun Belt matches over the weekend, earning a 3-1 (25-10, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23) win over Troy on Friday and a 3-0 (18-25, 20-25, 20-25) loss to South Alabama on Saturday.

“Right now, our highs are really high and our lows are really low,” head coach Sean Huiet said in a statement. “We need to be more consistent. This group is overthinking a lot and not competing like we know how.”

Senior setter Emily DeWalt returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 4 after being sidelined for three weeks with a shoulder injury. She picked up where she left off, dishing out 49 assists against the Trojans (7-5, 0-1 Sun Belt) on Friday.

The Bobcats (5-9, 1-0) tallied 55 kills and 14 errors on 112 swings for a season-high .366 attacking percentage as a team. Graduate outside hitter Jada Gardner led the way with 21 kills, followed by senior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald who finished with 16. All three players also added 11 digs each to secure double-doubles.

“That was a great win tonight,” Huiet stated. “I have tons of respect for what (Troy head coach) Josh (Lauer) and his staff have done with this program. Troy is a great team and beating them at home is always tough. I thought we came out very focused and showed a real high level of volleyball to start the match, but then lost our focus a little. I was glad we bounced back and were able to finish it off in four. 

“It was nice to see Emily (DeWalt) back on the court. She helped lead the charge. She is so competitive and knows how to get this team to compete. Jada (Gardner) showed us she can terminate at a high level, and she did so in some big moments. Overall, it was a great win, but we can't celebrate too long because now it's time to focus our attention on South Alabama.”

Texas State couldn’t keep the momentum going against the Jaguars, ending a three-game winning streak. The team was held to a .123 hitting percentage — a bottom-three mark on the year. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlan Buettner paced the team with 12 kills. Fifth-year senior defensive specialist Brooke Johnson led the maroon and gold with 19 digs.

“You have to give (head coach) Jesse (Ortiz) and his staff at South Alabama for having a great game plan and sticking to it,” Huiet stated.

The Bobcats return to San Marcos this weekend to host Louisiana-Monroe (6-12, 1-1) on Friday and Louisiana (6-4, 1-1) on Saturday, both matches beginning at 6 p.m.