MATCH STATS
- Coastal Carolina def. Texas State, 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15)
- Coastal Carolina improves to 20-7; Texas State drops to 24-9
- Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Attendance: 262
- Coastal Carolina earns the automatic bid by winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title
- Box score
JONESBORO, Ark. – For the second time in as many years, Coastal Carolina won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and the subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was also the fourth straight tournament title, dating back to when the Chanticleers were members of the Big South Conference, making the 2017 season the fourth straight season Coastal Carolina will be in the NCAA Tournament.
The Chanticleers were led by Sun Belt Championship Most Outstanding Player Leah Hardeman (21 kills, 16 digs, 3 blocks, .354). It was Hardeman’s second straight MOP honor at the tournament. Fellow All-Tournament honorees were Sydney Alvis (27 digs) and Kyla Manning (career-high 19 kills).
Texas State was led by All-Tournament honorees Micah Dinwiddie (24 digs) and Amy Pflughaupt (13 kills, 9 digs, 4 aces, 2 blocks). The Bobcats were the 2-seed in the tournament and were in the tournament final for the first time since 2014. The Bobcats (RPI: 70) have already accepted a bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, which will announce its bracket after the NCAA Tournament announces their bracket Sunday, November 26. It will be the first time Texas State is in the post-season since their first-round loss to Texas in 2013.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Coastal Carolina
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Coastal Carolina volleyball team defeated #2 Texas State in four sets Sunday afternoon to win its second consecutive Sun Belt Volleyball Championship, and fourth conference championship in as many years. The championship victory also ensures that Coastal will be making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Coastal enters the NCAA postseason with a 20-7 record, its fourth straight 20-plus win season and 12th such season in program history. The Chanticleers will find out their first round opponent and match location on Nov. 26 during the NCAA Volleyball Selection Show, which airs at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
Texas State, the Sun Belt West Division champion, closes the tournament at 24-9.
The first three sets were all decided by two-point margins, 25-23, with Coastal winning the first and third games, and Texas State claiming the second. The Chants finished off the match with a double figure, 25-15 victory in the fourth.
Leah Hardeman, who had a 21 kill, 16 dig double-double in the victory, was named the Sun Belt Championship Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year. The senior outside hitter also finished the match with a .354 hitting percentage and three blocks.
Joining Hardeman on the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team were junior defensive specialist Sydney Alvis, and freshman outside hitter Kyla Manning. Manning put down a career-best 19 kills while hitting .286, and tied for second on the team in blocks with four. For the second consecutive match during the tournament, Alvis led all players in digs with 27.
It was a close match through the first three sets, with 23 ties and nine lead changes. The final set was all Coastal, however, as the score was tied just twice, and the Chants never faced a deficit.
The Chants rode a .378 hitting percentage to victory in the first set. The set was tied late at 22-22 before Coastal won three of the next four points to take the match’s opening lead.
After Texas State won the second set to tie the match, Coastal found itself trailing once again in the third. The Chants then swung the momentum of the game by winning seven straight points to go in front, 15-12. The Bobcats managed the even the set seven more times to bring about another 22-22 tie. As in the first set, Coastal won three of the final four points to close the period and take a 2-1 match lead.
The final set saw Coastal hit .300 to Texas State’s -.077. Coastal used a 7-2 run in the set to take an insurmountable 19-13 lead, and claimed six of the next eight points to finish off the match.
Courtesy of Texas State Athletics
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Texas State volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15) to Coastal Carolina in the finals of the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Championship Sunday afternoon inside Convocation Center.
The Bobcats, seeded No. 2 in the tournament and making their first appearance in the league finals since 2014, fell to 24-9 on the season. The Chanticleers, the top seed and the defending league champs, improved to 20-7.
The season will continue for Texas State, as the team has earned an automatic bid into the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The bracket for the tournament will be announced Nov. 26 following the NCAA Selection Show. The postseason berth will be the first for the maroon and gold since 2013.
Sophomore Amy Pflughaupt led TXST with 13 kills, while junior Madison Daigle (11) and sophomore Megan Porter (10) also reached double figures. Senior Erin Hoppe distributed 30 assists, while true freshman Brooke Johnson added 12. Sophomore Micah Dinwiddie finished with a team-high 24 digs.
Pflughaupt and Dinwiddie were both named to the SBC Championship All-Tournament Team.
Coastal Carolina jumped on top by squeezing out a 25-23 first-set triumph. Neither team led by more than three at any point in the frame. The two sides played to a 22-22 standstill before the top seed closed on a 3-1 run to finish off the period.
The Bobcats drew even by swinging the second-set score by their own 25-23 margin. CCU initially went ahead 7-3 before the maroon and gold used a 5-1 run to tie the frame at 8-8. TXST fought hard to turn a 13-13 tie into a 21-15 advantage, but Coastal Carolina battled back to within one at 23-22. Texas State then used a pair of errors to capture the set.
CCU took the third by another 25-23 scoreline. TXST enjoyed an early five-point lead at 8-3 and later led 12-8, but the Chanticleers ventured on a 7-0 run to climb on top 15-12. The remainder of the game was tight throughout, with the final draw coming at 22-22. As was the case in the opening set, Coastal Carolina won three of the final four points to move to the brink of victory.
The Chanticleers proved to be too much down the stretch for Texas State. The Bobcats were able to stay close at 12-12, but the remainder of the set saw CCU close on a 13-3 run to capture the conference title.
Leah Hardeman had a match-high 21 kills, while Kyla Manning added 19. Sara Boothe (42) and Kate Federico (12) tallied double-digit assists, while Sydney Alvis registered 27 digs. Hardeman (16) and Boothe (11) also finished with double-figure digs.
Coastal Carolina led in kills (59-51), attack percentage (.264-.130), assists (56-43), digs (71-65), and blocks (12-10). Texas State led in aces (6-4).
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