Texas State volleyball falls to No. 9 Arizona State 3-2

Jonathan Marin 

KTSW Reporter  

SAN MARCOS, Texas- The Bobcats came up short in a competitive back-and-forth match-up against No. 9 Arizona State 3-2. 

The home opener for the Bobcats showed their willingness to bounce back, coming off a 3-1 loss to the UTEP Miners. They came out of the gate as they took set one in definitive fashion, asserting their dominance over a ranked opponent. Errors were plentiful on both sides, causing a back-and-forth in terms of scoring. The firepower of both sides revealed itself through Samantha Wunsch and Tatum Parrot. Ultimately, the Bobcats came out on top. 

 The first set, and frankly, throughout the entire game, we see the importance of Anna Blaine as the main facilitator for the Bobcats’ offense. Anna Blaine, recently named the Sun Belt Setter of the week, ended the game with an assist total of 45. Doubling that of any player on the court. Blaine, currently dealing with an injury, made the Bobcats shift their game plan.  

 “We wanted to take advantage of some of the things Arizona State did, but it’s also going to limit Anna’s movement and not have her go so much on defense which is what’s bothering her right now” said Head Coach Sean Huiet. 

This shift proved to be effective, as despite her limited mobility, the chemistry with Wunsch and Blaine played a significant role in keeping the Bobcats competitive. Their symbiotic relationship also led to Wunsch serving as the attack leader by the end of the game.  

The Sun Devils immediately struck back as they claimed the second set. Midway through this set, momentum continued to shift as we saw a significant string of errors. First, three done by the Sun Devils, which gave the Bobcats a 17-13 lead. The Bobcats proceeded to commit two errors, which shifted the momentum back to the Arizona side. Ultimately, both sides found themselves in a tie towards the end of the set, with the Sun Devils coming out on top. 

These errors proved to be momentum stoppers for the Bobcats all throughout the night. “I don’t like moral victories, I don’t like making excuses, we’re banged up, and what we’re doing in practice, we’re not getting to do a lot of six on six right, we’re down to one setter who’s very limited. Some of these things we have to clean up.” said Huiet. 

The next two sets did not let up in intensity as both schools took one of each, respectively. The Bobcats ended the third set with a decisive score of 25-20, and the Sun Devils succeeded in regaining their footing in the fourth set with a score of 25-19.  

The emergence of Bailey Miller played a significant role in the latter half of this game for Arizona State. Miller is someone who could be found all across the leaderboard, leading the game in points, kills, and digs. An important contributor who broke down the Bobcat defense, especially in the crucial deciding fifth set. Seven total kills in the fifth set alone helped lead the Sun Devils to victory.  

The set ended with a final score of 15-9, and an overall game score of 3-2. The Bobcats will look to bounce back Friday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., at home against Incarnate Word and the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. The Bobcats inch closer towards conference play, but first, they will head to California to play in the Stanford tournament Sept. 19-21.