SAN MARCOS – Before Texas State volleyball made history Thursday against Utah State, it got a talking-to from a figure who knows a few things about writing records.
Coach Sean Huiet said that his predecessor Karen Chisolm, who led the Bobcats for 40 years before retiring in 2019, surprised them in the locker room during the week. Huiet didn’t know she’d be there. But the legend’s speech lit a fire under him and Texas State, as “only she can do.”
“At one point, she was like, ‘You get to go in school history, and get the first win in Pac-12. You are going to be in school history,'” Huiet said.
MORE:How Bobcats stack up in new Pac-12
Chisolm’s words struck a chord with the roster. The Bobcats went on to become the first of the Texas State athletic programs to win a Pac-12 conference game, defeating the Aggies 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23).
Things didn’t start great. After two consecutive five-set losses, Texas State came out of the gate sluggish, heading into a timeout down 14-7 in the first set. The Aggies’ serves disrupted the Bobcats’ flow of attack, while setter Anna Blaine and her hitters weren’t quite syncing up.
But volleyball is a game of momentum. Points cumulate quickly, and the Bobcats rattled off a 13-5 run out of the break to take a 20-19 lead. The Aggies wavered, dropped the first set and never recovered. Huiet said that if Texas State lost that opening set, he’s not sure how the rest of the game would’ve gone.
“Our highs have been high, and our lows have been low. We’ve been trying to even that out a little bit,” Huiet said. “I think that set the tone.”
A championship mindset
Texas State outside hitter Brooke Bentke was her usual spectacular self, recording 15 kills on 30 attacks and nine digs. Fellow outside hitter Peyton McKee had the next-most kills, with 10, but the Missouri State transfer’s relentless energy stood out even more than her ferocious attacks.
Nearly every time McKee’s attack ended in a Texas State point, she’d look utterly beside herself. Pumping her fist, screaming, hugging her teammate, doing a perfect rendition of the worm, the sophomore brought a level of joy to the court that kept the Bobcats rolling even when things weren’t going perfectly.
MORE:What the Pac-12 learned from past failures
During Texas State’s reverse sweep over UT-Arlington earlier in the season, McKee said she noticed the effect her optimism had on the team. She’s taken that mindset to every game since.
“I might not always be on with my kills or my hits, but I can always bring something to the table,” McKee said.
Texas State athletics has been consistent in its messaging that it’s not happy just being in the Pac-12. The Bobcats’ standards have risen; they are aiming for championships across all sports.
They were picked to finish third in a nine-team conference that could provide some solid midmajor volleyball. Colorado State, polled as the first-place team, made the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and was a postseason mainstay from 2000-19. Washington State had an NCAA streak that lasted nearly a decade, ending in 2023.
For Texas State, Thursday was just one match. But in sweeping Utah State on Thursday, the Bobcats took the first step in making its lofty goals in a new conference a reality.
This article originally published at Texas State volleyball makes history, sweeps Utah State in first Pac-12 conference game.
About the Author
