Five Sets for the Seniors: Texas State vs Fresno State

I returned to Strahan Arena on November 7 to photograph Texas State against Fresno State, with the Bobcats honoring six seniors before the match. The Bobcats took the opening set, but Fresno State won the next two and put Texas State one set away from a loss. The home team had to win both remaining sets to finish Senior Day with a victory. It did, recovering from the 2-1 deficit and closing the fifth 16-14.

The final box score tells how close it was. Texas State won 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14. Every set was decided by three points or fewer. There was little room to recover from a late mistake. Texas State’s opening-set win gave way to a Fresno State lead, and even after the Bobcats forced a fifth, they still needed extra points to settle the match.

Six seniors and a career milestone

Texas State’s Senior Day celebration recognized Ally Adair, India Bennett, Brooke Bentke, Ameena Campbell, Dylan Gilkey and Jasmine Purakal. The Bobcats wore SWT throwback uniforms for the occasion, bringing the school’s former Southwest Texas identity onto the court.

Dylan Gilkey added a personal milestone early in the match. According to Texas State Athletics, she reached 1,000 career assists on the Bobcats’ ninth point of the opening set. She finished with 43 assists.

Several of the honored seniors contributed across the floor. Bennett supplied 12 kills without an attack error, hitting .571 on 21 attempts. Bentke added 10 kills and four blocks, while Purakal led Texas State with 14 digs.

Euston leads a balanced attack

Ashley Euston finished with a career-high 16 kills, according to Texas State’s match report. Peyton McKee recorded her third consecutive double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Janet Onuorah added 10 kills, giving the Bobcats five players in double figures.

Euston also recorded nine block assists and hit .438. Texas State finished with 11 team blocks to Fresno State’s seven, and eight aces to the Bulldogs’ six.

Fresno State pushes the match to five

Fresno State gave the Bobcats plenty to solve. Jenna Legault led all attackers with 23 kills and served three aces. Kiley Devery contributed 18 kills and 15 digs. Gabby Lombardi had 42 assists and 15 digs, while Olivia Lombardi collected 17 digs.

After losing the opener, the Bulldogs took the next two sets. Their opportunity to finish came in the fourth, when they opened a 7-2 lead. Texas State was running out of room: another set lost would end the match, and Fresno State already had a five-point head start.

The Bobcats answered with six consecutive points, turning that deficit into an 8-7 lead. The teams continued to trade runs before Texas State pulled ahead 22-17 and held on to force a fifth. The same team that had been five points behind early in the set had built a five-point cushion late. Fresno State’s match report traces those swings.

A two point finish

The deciding set stayed close. Fresno State led 10-9, and the teams were still level at 12. Texas State had worked its way back into the match, but the Bulldogs kept answering. Legault’s kill brought Fresno State even again at 14, extending a set that ordinarily finishes at 15 when one team leads by two.

At 14-14, either side could still take the match with two consecutive points. Texas State won both, finally separating from a Fresno State team that had pushed it through five close sets. After falling behind in the match and again early in the fourth, the Bobcats had completed the comeback.

The victory ended Texas State’s seven-match losing streak. The Bobcats moved to 8-16 overall and 3-10 in the Pac-12; Fresno State fell to 7-16 and 2-10. For the six players honored before first serve, Senior Day ended with a five-set win they had helped secure through their work at the net, in the back row and setting the offense.

Sources: Official final box score and play-by-play · Texas State Athletics · Fresno State Athletics

Matt Powell is a professional sports content creator who crafts creative assets that drive athlete and team branding strategies.