6 | The University Star | Sports | Thursday, October 2, 2014
SOCCER
VOLLEYBALL
Texas State to take on undefeated Mountaineers
Bobcats look to extend win streak against Ragin’ Cajuns
By Sabrina Flores SPORTS REPORTER @SABRINAFLORESTX The Texas State soccer team will play against the Appalachian State Mountaineers Oct. 5 in a game between two of the four undefeated teams in conference play. Appalachian State, in its first year in the Sun Belt, snapped the Arkansas-Little Rock’s nine-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory. The Mountaineers finished their road trip with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas State. The Mountaineers were a wellbalanced team this past weekend, with two shutouts and seven different players accounting for either a goal or an assist. Appalachian State attempted 28 shots against Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State, with 15 on goal. Appalachian State is running a 4-3-3 formation that can expose the Bobcats if their defense isn’t fundamentally sound. The Mountaineers play with four defenders, excluding their goalkeeper. The three midfielders and three forwards have the opportunity to attack the Bobcat defense and Caitlynn Rinehart, junior goalkeeper. Rinehart has 36 saves for the season and has only allowed nine
goals from opponents. Coach Kat Conner has laid out a strategy for her team to remain disciplined in the midfield. “We need to know the runners that can go into the attack and the runners that need to stay,” Coach Conner said. “[It] requires a lot of work ethic, and it requires a lot of discipline in the attacks to do it so we do not become one-dimensional.” The Bobcats are averaging 17 shots per conference game and totaled 17 on goal in the past two matchups. “I like how many shots we got off and how many we got on goal,” Conner said. “The trick is that we need to be there in front of the goal to finish these opportunities.” Lynsey Curry, junior forward, was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her performances against Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock. Curry led the Bobcats with three of the team’s four goals. Texas State is currently fifth in the conference with 7-3-1 overall. Appalachian State is eighth with 5-6 overall. “I think our confidence level has risen a lot,” Curry said. “I know we’re starting to play a lot better as a team, as a unit.”
STAR FILE PHOTO
By Derrick Holland SPORTS REPORTER @DHOLLAND23 The Texas State volleyball team will play the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Oct. 4 in an attempt to e xtend its conference win streak to six games. Texas State (10-7, 5-0) is currently in first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, while Louisiana-Lafayette (123, 2-3) sits in seventh. Sierra Smith, junior libero, said she is very excited about the Bobcats’ beginning of conference play. “The coaches brought it to our attention that they couldn’t remember the last time their team started 5-0 in conference play,” Smith said. “In the preseason the whole team had this drive to win. I think the great win against UT-Arlington really gave us a kick start and helped us start out 5-0 in conference.” Coach Karen Chisum knows Louisiana-Lafayette is entering the game with confidence. “Louisiana-Lafayette is a good team,” Chisum said. “They’re feeling really good now after they beat Appalachian State, and I think that really gave them a lot of confidence.” The Bobcats defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns three times last year, including a 3-1 victory in the Sunbelt Conference tournament. In the three times meeting last year, Texas State lost one of 10 sets. Smith said the Bobcats know Louisiana-Lafayette is not the same team. “The next part of our schedule is going to be pretty tough,” Smith said. “Louisiana-Lafayette is a team that just beat Appalachian State, which was undefeated in conference play. I’m really excited about this next half of the season because there’s going to be a lot more competition, and our team is ready.” The Bobcats will face a team that defends well and does not give up many kills. Texas State
STAR FILE PHOTO has 980 kills this season, but Louisiana-Lafayette has only allowed 551 through its first 13 games. Although the Bobcats have been strongest on offense this season, Smith said the team has been focusing on defense in the practices leading up to the matchup with LouisianaLafayette. “Our defense has really picked up a lot,” Smith said. “We haven’t been the strongest blocking team in conference so far this season, but our defense has really worked hard in practice and games to get better.” Chisum also stressed how important it is to iron out the kinks in the defense. “The main thing we emphasized this week was blocking and defense,” Chisum said. “We are leading the conference in kills and digs, but we are dead last in blocks. We are
doing some things right with blocks because our opponents are hitting around our blocks, but we are able to dig them. We are definitely working on setting our block and then closing.” With every conference win, Texas State improves its chances at clinching a high seed in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Chisum is optimistic about what this team can accomplish as the second half of the season begins. “As a coach, this 5-0 start makes me so proud of this group of players,” Chisum said “We have talent, but we are really young. We have two freshman starting and plenty of sophomores and juniors playing. These players are just gutsy. They have worked really well together and found a way to win.”
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