JONESBORO, Ark. (11/6/20) – In the first half of Friday's doubleheader, Arkansas State dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 13 Texas State.
A-State (8-6, 8-6 Sun Belt Conference) kept things close in both the first and third sets, but the Bobcats (17-1, 12-0) picked up points in key late moments to take the sweep.
Madison Brown led the Red Wolves offensively with a match-high 16 kills and a .368 attack percentage while Lauren Musante dished out 24 assists. Macey Putt and Kendahl Davenport each tallied five kills, while Putt collected seven digs. Defensively, Tatum Ticknor tallied 16 digs, while Josie Stanford and Brianna Hollingshed each notched three blocks.
Lauren Teske led Texas State with 15 kills while Janell Fitzgerald posted 10 kills and three blocks. Setter Emily DeWalt handed out 30 assists to go along with a match-high 16 digs. Michelle Foster served three of Texas State's five aces. The Bobcats out-blocked A-State 9.0-6.0 in the contest and held the Red Wolves to a hitting percentage of .096.
SET 1 – Texas State 25-20
A-State built an early 5-2 lead, but the Bobcats battled back after a 3-0 run by the Red Wolves made it 10-6. Texas State responded with a 6-0 run to lead 14-12 and force a timeout. A-State then tied it up at 16 on a block by Hollingshed and Stanford before the Bobcats went on a 4-0 run to lead 20-16 and force another A-State timeout. Out of the timeout, Texas State took four of the next five to hold set point up 24-17. The Red Wolves then saved three set points on a service error, attack error and then a solo block by Musante. DeWalt then ended the set with a kill
SET 2 – Texas State 25-13
Texas State surged to an early 7-2 lead in the second set and would not relinquish its lead. A 3-0 run out of an A-State timeout made it 13-5 before the Red Wolves went on a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to 14-9. The Bobcats then went on an 8-0 run to lead 22-9 – its largest lead of the set. An A-State 3-0 run on kills by Putt and an ace by Ryley Gill cut it to 23-13, but Texas State took a 2-0 lead in the match with a kill by Teske and an ace by Brooke Johnson.
SET 3 – Texas State 25-20
The Bobcats led 4-2 early in the set before A-State pulled ahead 7-5 with a 5-1 run sparked by kills from Kendahl Davenport and Putt. A 5-0 run by Texas State helped the Bobcats reclaim the lead for good at 11-8. A-State would cut it to 11-10 on miscues by Texas State. The teams would trade points until the Bobcats extended their lead to 21-14. The Red Wolves then took six of the next eight points, including aces by Putt and Julianna Cramer to make it 23-20, but Texas State would end the match on a kill by Caitlan Buettner and an A-State attack error.
A-State takes on Texas State in the second match of Friday's doubleheader at 6 p.m., with the match being broadcasted live on ESPN+.
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
