CONWAY, S.C. – The Carolina Chanticleers dropped a five-set thriller 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23) to the Texas State Bobcats at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., on Friday evening to open the weekend series. With the loss, the Chants fell to 11-14 overall and 6-7 in Sun Belt action, while the Bobcats improved to 16-8 on the year and 10-3 in league play.
Coastal saw
Jalyn Stout record a match-high 22 kills, while
Lauren Malone added 11 spikes.
Emily Fowler and
Agata Lesiak finished with 10 kills each.
Ava Wallis tallied a season-high with a team-high 26 assists, while Stout had 22 helpers.
Defensively, CCU totaled 14 blocks as Fowler stopped six solo attempts and assisted on one kill attempt for a career-high seven total blocks, while Lesiak stopped four attempts each at the net.
Sydney Lewis tallied a match-high 21 digs to help the offense get back on track, while
Bailee Earnhardt (15) and Stout (11) finished with double-digit digs, as Stout recorded her 16th triple-double of the season.
Texas State was led by MJ McCurdy with a match-high 22 kills, while Maggie Walsh and Samantha Wunsch tallied 11 and 10 spikes, respectively. Carlee Pharris finished with a match-high 36 assists.
The Bobcats stopped 12 CCU kill attempts with Zenai Jethroe making five stops as Pharris stopped three attempts. McCurdy and Walsh totaled two blocks each, while Alyssa Ortega totaled a team-high 17 digs. Walsh (15), McCurdy (15), Alyssa Clark (14), and Pharris (10) tallied double-digit digs.
In the first set, the two teams traded the first 19 points with the Chanticleers holding on to a one-point advantage at 10-9 before Texas State used a 3-0 spurt to take a 12-10 lead. The Bobcats doubled Coastal 4-2 to go in front 16-12. CCU evened the score at 16-16 with a 4-0 surge, sparked by a Texas State miscue and capped by a Malone kill. Coastal outscored the visitors from San Marcos, Texas 9-4 to take a 1-0 match lead with the 25-20 opening set win.
After a 9-3 burst by the Chants, Texas State called the early timeout. Coastal Carolina maintained its six-point lead at 11-5, which included kills by Fowler and Stout. The Bobcats fought even the score at 16-16 with an 11-5 run before a 7-2 run put Texas State in front 23-18. The two teams traded the next four rallies with the Bobcats even the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 second-set victory.
In the third set, Texas State raced to a 9-4 lead only to see the Chanticleers battle back to take a 12-11 lead with an 8-2 surge, highlighted by four spikes by Stout. A 12-3 burst by the Bobcats gave the visitors a 22-15 lead before Lesiak added two quick points with a kill and a block. The two teams traded the next five points with Texas State claiming a 25-19 third-set win to lead the match 2-1.
The fourth set went back and forth with the two teams trading the first 34 rallies to remain even at 17-17 before the Bobcats opened a 21-18 lead with a 4-1 spurt. However, Coastal Carolina battled back with a 9-7 surge to knot the match at 2-2 after claiming the fourth set 26-24.
In the fifth and final set, CCU pushed in front 3-1, highlighted by a solo block by Fowler. After scoring three straight points Texas State took a one-point advantage at 4-3. Coastal answered with two quick points to lead 5-4, which included a kill by
Siri Engstrom. A 6-1 run by the Bobcats put Texas State in front 10-6. The two teams traded the final 10 points with Texas State winning the match 3-2 with the 15-11 fifth-set win.
Coastal Carolina will celebrate its five seniors on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., as the Chanticleers host Texas State. The opening serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday with the match being streamed on ESPN+.
For complete coverage of CCU women's volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
