A team effort propelled Texas State (4-1) to a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) over Houston Baptist (1-4) Friday night inside Strahan Arena, igniting the beginning of a new winning streak for the Bobcats.
Deception was the game used by coach Sean Huiet and his team as they used decoy strikers in order to free up their outside hitters for kills on multiple occasions. Senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott excelled at selling the jump in the middle of the floor, allowing junior right side Janell Fitzgerald a clean kill, giving the Bobcats a 14-12 lead in the first set.
The team saw a significant increase in offensive efficiency relative to their loss against UTEP last weekend. Texas State got hot in the first set recording its third-highest kill percentage of the season at .410% in a 25-18 first set win.
The middle frame was highlighted by redshirt freshman Kayla Tello. The defensive specialist hit a serve that landed in between the Huskies’ libero and defensive specialist, as the miscommunication from the visitors proved to be their downfall. As the visitors tried to earn their first win on the road, their fight at the bottom of the set kept them alive. But defense proved more important than offense. The maroon and gold played tremendous defense at the net, holding Houston Baptist to a .091 hitting percentage the whole set. Fitzgerald’s two blocks in addition to junior middle blocker Jillian Slaughter’s team-high three kept their hands ready for anything that came their way, propelling the team to a 25-20 victory.
In Friday night’s match, the Bobcats proved they were able to play in different fashions, ahead or trailing.
Houston Baptist looked like a completely different team in the third set, stealing a 5-0 lead over the hosts. Sean Huiet signaled timeout at the referee, letting his team know he'd had enough. The game plan shifted to feeding redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lauren Teske, who found a rhythm in the last set. Junior setter Emily Dewalt sent a pass to Teske, who struck for a kill that made the ground shake. The Huskies looked around in dismay as that shot signified the beginning of the end for them.
Teske paced the team with her first career double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Her performance was followed by Scott with nine kills and Fitzgerald with seven. DeWalt continued to prove why she was chosen as Preseason Sun Belt Setter of the Year in consecutive seasons with 36 assists and 10 digs against the Huskies.
The Bobcats concluded their non-conference schedule Saturday at 11 a.m. in game two of the doubleheader against the Huskies in Strahan Arena. The match ended after press time.
