Texas State Wins Second Game of CenturyTel Tournament by Shutting Down Hofstra

In the second game of the CenturyTel Volleyball Tournament, Texas State scored their second win of the day against the Hofstra Pride with a 3-1 decision. The Bobcats had just defeated Texas Southern earlier that Friday afternoon, winning 3-0 and giving the Cats a leading start in the tournament. Texas State improved their overall record 3-7. This was a win that was much needed by the Bobcats not only for the tournament, but with non-conference play still at hand.

The first few plays between the teams during the first set had both teams in constant motion and both teams saw several great plays back to back. There were several errors that could have been prevented by the Bobcats, including short serves, missed digs and constant substitutes. However, Coach Chisum told KTSW after the game that there had been a few position changes that might have caused some early confusion for the Bobcats. Additionally, although the ‘Cats had some minor mistakes, the Hofstra Pride had some poor plays themselves. The Pride seemed to be a bit unorganized and hardly had any communication amongst them. They sometimes seemed lost and had a weak spot right in the middle of their courtside, which gave Texas State an advantage with kills and tips. The Bobcats were able to break down Hofstra’s offense and win the first set, 25-19.

The Pride stayed in position during the second set and weren’t prepared to go down, as they tied it up 5-5 in the first couple of minutes. But then, a few key players in Mo Middleton (JR) and AJ Watlington (JR) both had four kills each and slowly brought the Bobcats up 11-7 during the next few serve plays. Although the Bobcats got some momentum back on their side from those feats by Middleton and Watlington, it still just wasn’t enough to win the set. Hofstra themselves came back with a few key plays to win the second set 25-18.

As for the third set, the only way to describe it would be a healthy dose of Bobcat Domination. Shelby Irvin came in as the starting server for Texas State and continued to lead the Cats into a 7-0 winning streak. It was nonstop serve after successful serve and not only did Shelby excel on the baseline, she also was an impressive digger and setter on the court as well. Wherever the ball was out of reach, Shelby still found it and assisted her teammates in making a play to get the ball over. Pride had to call a time-out and regroup on account of Shelby’s winning streak. Hofstra ended Irvin’s streak and tried to come back but unfortunately failed and Middleton joined Irvin on the non-stop serving giving Texas State a lead of 17-1. The Bobcats finished this set 25-6 and made this the best set of the tournament.

Texas State Bobcats ended the fourth set 25-20 in an intense back to back showdown. This was a close score and fortunately the Cats had the right communication and support from their teammates to finish off the Hofstra Pride. The Bobcats will continue to host the Centurytel Premier tomorrow against Texas A&M at 2:00pm to close out the tournament. Both Texas A&M and State are 2-0 in the tournament and will be competing for the championship. Listen in on 89.9, ktsw.net and twitter.com/ktswsports.

-Jessica Salinas, KTSW Sports Staff Writer