JONESBORO, Ark. (10/16/21) – Saturday night at First National Bank Arena, the Arkansas State volleyball team battled Texas State in three tightly contested sets, but fell 3-0 to the Bobcats.
A-State (13-8, 4-5) owned leads in all three frames, but late runs in each helped the Bobcats (10-11, 6-2) move past the Red Wolves for the sweep.
Macey Putt led the Scarlet and Black offensively with 13 kills and an ace, along with six digs and three blocks on the defensive end. Paulina Sobolewska just missed a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs while Kendahl Davenport added eight kills and a match-high six blocks. Lauren Musante handed out 14 assists with 13 digs to record her team-leading 13th double-double of the year.
Three players recorded double-digit kills for Texas State, led by Janell Fitzgerald's 16. She registered 15 digs for the double-double, as did Jada Gardner (12 kills, 12 digs). Setter Emily DeWalt delivered 44 assists with 11 digs to go along with three blocks.
Texas State held a slight 15-14 lead at the first-set media timeout before extending it to 21-16 and forcing the Red Wolves to call a timeout. A-State then surged to tie it at 23 on a 7-2 run capped off by a Brianna Hollingshed kill, but the Bobcats took the next two points to claim the opening frame 25-23.
The Bobcats rode that momentum into the second set, leading by as much as eight at 14-6. A-State then clawed back to trim the deficit to 18-15 before a 3-0 run capped off by an ace from Kayla Granado made it 21-15. After calling a timeout, the Red Wolves cut it to 22-19 on a kill by Mariah Hesselgesser, but Texas State would fend off a late run to take a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-19 decision in the set.
A-State opened the third set with an early 4-2 lead before the Bobcats gained an 11-7 advantage and led by as much as five at 17-12. The Red Wolves then took seven of the next nine points to knot it up at 19-all, including three Sobolewska kills. An ace by Gardner made it 22-19 and forced a timeout, and then Texas State took three of the last five points to clinch the match.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves head east to Georgia for their next two matches, stopping in Atlanta on Friday for a showdown at Georgia State. First serve from the GSU Sports Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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.
