Oct. 9, 2013
Final Stats
Photo Gallery ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington ended a drought of five consecutive losses to Texas State by defeating the Bobcats 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12) on Wednesday night at College Park Center.
The Mavericks (11-7, 4-1 SBC) improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this season and picked up their fourth win in the last five matches.
"It felt like five years," UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour said of the Mavericks struggle against their in-state rival. "It is a goal for us that we had at the start of the season to beat Texas State and it feels great to have done so."
UTA's block came alive in the second set and the Mavericks propelled themselves to doubling the output of the Bobcats (13-7, 3-2) defense for a 15-7 blocking advantage overall.
Charmaine Whitmore combined with Taylor Gross to total eight assisted blocks in the match, while Ashley Bennett added seven assisted blocks.
"Blocking has been something that we have been relying on," Seymour said. "It is a way for us to steal momentum from them and is something we did well tonight."
Shelby Dickson, notching her fourth double-double of the last five matches, had 18 digs and 13 kills.
"We made an adjustment on how they were blocking and it gave us an opportunity to get good touches," Dickson said. "We have depth to where we can trust everyone on the court."
The Mavericks responded to an opening set in which UTA would hit just .179 to improve in the second with 13 kills, good for a .289 hitting percentage.
In the fourth set, Whitmore and Gross stole the momentum from the Bobcats. Whitmore blocked back-to-back attacks to take the lead, posting four assisted blocks and three kills overall.
UTA took an 8-2 lead to begin the fifth and final set before the Bobcats battled back, bringing the set to a 13-11 Maverick advantage. The block proved big again for UTA, resulting in the Mavs' final point to close the match out.
The Mavericks continue their five-game homestand this Friday, hosting UALR at 7 p.m.
