NCAA RD2: Texas State vs Nebraska

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member
(28) TXST Bobcats 31-8, 15-1, SunBelt Champions
(5) Nebraska 14-2, 14-2, 3rd place Big 10 (no tournament)

2:30 start, match broadcast on ESPN3, Livestats here: link

Nebraska has 5 National Championship titles, most recently in 2017 and 2015. Only Stanford and Penn State have more, with 9 and 7 respectively. The Cornhuskers have been the runner up 4 times, and have 15 Final Fours. They bleed the bluest blood, no doubt about it. Nebraska swept Southwest Texas in 1992, the only meeting between the Bobcats and Cornshuckers.

What we're up against:
6'2" OH Lexi Sun - 1st Team All-B1G 2020, 2019; 3rd Team All-American 2019
6'4" MB Lauren Stivrins - 1st Team All-B1G 2020, 2019, 2018; 1st Team AA 2018, 2nd Team AA 2019
5'10" S Nicklin Hames - 1st Team All-B1G 2020, 2019; Honorable Mention AA 2019, 2018
6'3" OH Madi Kubik - Honorable Mention AA 2019
6'0" MB Kayla Caffey - 23yr old 5th yr JR
6'5" OH Riley Zuhn - only underclassman in the offensive rotation (soph)
6'3" OH Jazz Sweet - had 33 matches w/ double digit kills coming into this season, only 1 this season
6'5" MB Callie Schwarzenbach - Freshman All-B1G 2018
5'8" LIB Kenzie Knuckles - Freshman All-B1G 2019, 3.55 Digs/set this season

Our Bobcats are going to have to give zero f*cks and let it all hang out - anything can happen on any given day, right? That's why we actually play the games.
 
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LTK5H

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Nebraska volleyball prepares for unusual NCAA Tournament in Omaha

The Nebraska volleyball team begins postseason play on Thursday in an unprecedented single-site NCAA Tournament just over 50 miles from the Devaney Center.

Omaha’s CHI Health Center will host every match of a condensed 48-team NCAA Tournament, where Nebraska will carry a No. 5 overall seed for a second consecutive postseason.

Despite the additional stress that the tournament bubble can put on participating teams, Nebraska head coach John Cook shared a positive outlook at Tuesday’s weekly press conference.


“Basically, we’ve been in a hotel,” Cook said. “I have a really nice room with great views of Omaha and the Missouri River, so I’m pretty happy.”

Cook said getting tested for COVID-19 was the “most common activity” for the players and coaches leading up to the tournament. Any outbreak of positive tests could abruptly end a team’s season.

For now, much of the tournament’s setup is a mystery to the head coach. Cook said Tuesday that he hadn’t yet gotten a look at the convention center’s layout.

As a result, in-person scouting of potential opponents is also limited.

“We’ve got to watch [matches] on video just like you guys do,” Cook said.

Aside from all the uncertainty, Cook said seeing all the other teams arrive in Omaha brings back old feelings of excitement and anticipation. At the same time, though, the head coach acknowledged that things would still feel different.

One welcome change for the Huskers might be simply getting to play a match again. After Nebraska’s season finale series against Penn State was canceled, the Huskers have endured three weeks without live competition. Cook said he’s remained focused despite the long layover.

“We’re just trying to figure out how to play great on Thursday against potentially two different teams,” Cook said. “That’s our focus right now.”

Cook also gave credit to the team’s seniors for helping keep a focused mindset during the postseason. Four of Nebraska’s starters have played in a national championship match.

Though Nebraska’s conference-only schedule was disrupted three times due to cancellations, the Huskers may have played enough quality opponents to feel comfortable in a high-stakes match. The Big Ten leads all conferences with six teams selected in this year’s narrowed field, with Wisconsin taking the top seed overall.

In fact, every Big Ten team received a top-16 seed, meaning none of the conference’s schools will play in the first round. Penn State, the 13 seed, is in the same bracket quadrant as Nebraska.

In addition to being tested against tough opponents, Nebraska remains a talented team. Four Huskers received AVCA All-North Region honors Tuesday: junior setter Nicklin Hames, sophomore outside hitter Madi Kubik, senior middle blocker Lauren Stivrins and senior outside hitter Lexi Sun.

With the Huskers receiving a first-round bye in the tournament field, the team will await the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between Texas State and Utah Valley.

Texas State is no stranger to the postseason. The Bobcats have won three consecutive Sun Belt titles and secured an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.


This season was anything but typical for Texas State, however. The Sun Belt was one of the few conferences to hold volleyball competitions in the fall. The conference tournament was also held at the conclusion of the fall season. Texas State has been locked into the NCAA Tournament since their victory over Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt championship on Nov. 22.

After that, the Bobcats played exclusively non-conference matches throughout the spring. Texas State played over half of the teams in the Big 12. The Bobcats ended their season with a road upset over then ninth-ranked Baylor.

This unusual slate culminated in a 30-8 record for the Bobcats. Cook made note of Texas State’s schedule after the bracket was revealed.

“You look at Texas State. How the heck did they even play 38 matches? Are they in the NCAA?” Cook said.

Utah Valley, meanwhile, is making its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance since becoming a Division I volleyball program in 2003. The Wolverines finished 14-5 this season and clinched their tournament berth with a win in the Western Athletic Conference championship against New Mexico State.

The Wolverines played a conference-only schedule this spring with the exception of one match against in-state foe BYU. Utah Valley also set a school record with 12 conference wins in the regular season.

Even after an unusual season, Nebraska faces potential postseason matchups against plenty of familiar foes.

The top seed in the Huskers’ quadrant is Texas. Nebraska’s last tournament meeting with the Longhorns came in 2016, when Texas shocked the top-seeded Huskers in straight sets to advance to the national championship.

The Longhorns boast another elite team this spring and, like Texas State, played both a fall and spring schedule. After 24 matches, the Longhorns have only lost once.

Nebraska could play another former conference rival in the regional semifinals. Baylor, the 12 seed, will be seeking a repeat of last year’s historic appearance in the national semifinals.

The Bears are led by senior outside hitter Yossiana Pressley, who was named AVCA National Player of the Year in 2019. Pressley has 447 kills this year on .247 hitting.

Baylor has been inconsistent this year, however — the Bears have lost to Texas four times. The season finale for Baylor was spoiled in a 3-1 home defeat by Texas State.

Another non-conference opponent for Baylor in the regular season was Pepperdine, which also features in Nebraska’s region. The Waves now find themselves a win over UMBC away from a rematch with the Bears.

Pepperdine also features some close ties to Nebraska, as sophomore outside hitter Kayleigh Hames, the sister of Nebraska’s Hames, plays for the Waves. If Pepperdine can knock off UMBC and Baylor (who it took to five sets earlier in the season), the Hames sisters could be on a collision course in the regional semifinal.

It’s an unusual season, and it’s likely to end with some unexpected outcomes. Whichever team adapts best might finish with a trophy at the end of the year.

 

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member

After 19 Days, Huskers Finally Set to Take the Court Again in NCAA Tournament

Wednesday is the last of a 19-day layoff between matches for the Nebraska volleyball team. Coach John Cook and his team have had to deal with gaps in their schedule throughout the season, but this is the longest the Huskers have gone without competing against someone else.

That break will end on Thursday as the Huskers open their NCAA Tournament run against Texas State in the second round.

“It’s such a different energy and feeling when you’re playing as opposed to coming in and practicing, but I think that our team has done a really good job of staying focused and staying ready,” senior Lauren Stivrins said. “But definitely just getting out on the court and competing is something that we have really missed and something that I’m really looking forward to.”

Stivrins said maintaining focus was the toughest part of the last few weeks.

“I think the toughest part is just trying to stay focused and keep our eye on the prize,” Stivrins said. “We knew that the tournament was coming, but it’s real and it’s here now. We haven’t played a game in so long, so just trying to keep that same mentality each day and making sure that we’re getting in and getting better. I think that’s been the toughest part.”

Cook loves a good training block as much as any coach, but this last stretch was a bit much even for him.

“It’s not something that I would say we need to do every year,” Cook said. “I do a lot of trying to figure out what is the best for us every day, how do we stay sharp, how do we rest them? When you’re not playing for 19 days it’s hard to have something to shoot for. That’s a long ways out. I’ve just tried to be really creative and manage these guys and keep them sharp. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to do that, but I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job and I think they’ve done an awesome job coming to the practices and weights and really working hard and being focused. It’s really hard to do, especially for that age group, and I think our team’s done an amazing job of it.

“I’ve been really, really happy and proud of them for the business side and how they’ve approached everything. I’ll give credit to our seniors; they’ve been here before, they know what it takes and they’ve done a really good job of I think keeping everybody kind of on the same page and moving in the right direction.”

Cook, like most coaches, is a big fan of having a routine. However, two-and-a-half weeks of intense, game-week-style practices likely would have been a good way to burn his team out before they got to the tournament. So he altered the way they did things, giving the team some time off from practice once they learned Nebraska’s season-ending matches against Penn State were canceled before getting back at it last week.

“For us, we spent more time in the weight room,” Cook said. “We lifted more because we’re not playing matches, so we’re trying to keep them sharp and healthy. Second thing is we tried to build in some breaks because I think if you’re grinding six days over 19 days and you’re not playing matches, it’s really tough. We changed some drills that we normally do to make it more competitive and there was a lot of they had to be in there to get a certain goal before they could get out of the drill. As a coach, they responded really well to that. They could have said ‘Oh, this is too hard’ or ‘I’m not going to be able to do this’ or ‘Are you kidding me?’ They just embraced every challenge we threw, so we threw a lot of challenges at them … They did great with it.”

Cook often says the competition the Huskers face in practice is as good as what they see on match days, and he believes that was the case over the last week-and-a-half.

“So the creative side is we came up with some new ways of how we were training and scoring and getting them to compete and perform at a high level, probably a higher level than what we’ll need in this tournament,” Cook continued. “But we had to try, somehow, to get them to stay at a high level or go to another place.”

After going hard in their last few practices in Lincoln, the Huskers traveled to Omaha on Monday night and spent Tuesday “hanging out” while they went through their testing and awaited the go-ahead to practice on Wednesday. Cook said they planned to “keep it loose,” with a zoo visit, game time and other team activities on Tuesday night.

Through everything the last few weeks, and all season, Stivrins said the Huskers have done a good job of sticking together, and the coaching staff has made sure to keep the team’s goals top of mind in everything they’ve done.

“We’re always together and we’re always talking about what our goals are and stuff like that,” Stivrins said. “I think that just coming into practice every day and making sure that we have a similar goal and a similar focus. Our coaches are really good about writing down — each week we have a focus for ourselves and then coach, every practice, goes through what our goals are as a team and kind of lays those out. I don’t think there’s ever a chance for miscommunication as far as what needs to be done. I think we’re very good about that and then staying motivated, I think that comes naturally for all of us.

“I think this team’s put in so much work so I think we’re ready for this and we prepared well and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Texas State beat Utah State in the first round on Wednesday, the Bobcats’ nation-leading 39th match of the 2020-21 season. Texas State (31-8) won 25-21, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22 while hitting .238 and holding Utah Valley to .154. Caitlin Buettner led the Bobcats with 15 kills on .226 hitting, Tyeranee Scott added 14 kills on .591 hitting and five blocks and Janell Fitzgerald chipped in 13 kills on .162 hitting.

First serve for Nebraska and Texas State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on WatchESPN.

 

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member
Husker Gear Up for NCAA Tourney in Omaha

• The Nebraska volleyball team opens the NCAA Tournament at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center. The Huskers will take on the winner of the Texas State-Utah Valley first-round match-up. Thursday's second round match will be streamed on WatchESPN.com.
• Husker Sports Network will broadcast all the Husker action on HSN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor is in his 27th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-America setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.

About the Huskers
• The Huskers, making their 39th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, will open the tournament on Thursday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. against the winner of the Texas State-Utah Valley first-round match that takes place on Wednesday, April 14.
• The top 16 seeds received a first-round bye. Nebraska's region includes No. 4 seed Texas, No. 12 seed Baylor and No. 13 seed Penn State. The Huskers are on the left half of the bracket that also includes No. 1 national seed Wisconsin, No. 8 Florida and No. 9 Ohio State. The top two national seeds on the other side of the bracket are No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Minnesota.
• Nebraska, which has been to four NCAA Semifinals in the last five years and won National Championships in 2015 and 2017, finished the regular season 14-2 and in third place in the Big Ten Conference. The Huskers played 16 of their 22 scheduled regular-season matches, as six were canceled due to COVID-19 issues for opposing teams.
• The first-round bye will be the Huskers' first automatic advancement to the second round since 1997 when the tournament featured 56 teams. In 1998 the field was expanded to 68 teams. The Big Red will await the winner of Texas State-Utah Valley, who will play on Wednesday, April 14 at 2:30 p.m.
• The Huskers led the Big Ten in defense last season and picked up where they left off this season, holding opponents to .157 hitting to rank second in the conference behind only Wisconsin.
• Nebraska's .272 season hitting percentage also ranked second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin.
• Nebraska ranked third in the conference in kills (14.11 per set), second in assists (12.82 per set) and fourth in digs (14.79 per set).
• Senior outside hitter Lexi Sun leads the Huskers with 3.82 kills per set with 19 service aces as well as 2.13 digs per set. She ranked fifth in the Big Ten in kills per set and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. Sun was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on March 8 after averaging 5.17 kills per set on .315 hitting in the two wins at Illinois. Sun earned the conference player of the week honor again on March 22 after 4.33 kills per set on .408 hitting in two sweeps over Iowa.
• Senior middle blocker Lauren Stivrins is putting up 3.21 kills per set on a team-high .468 hitting percentage, which led all Big Ten players this season and ranked fourth in the nation. She was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team.
• Junior setter Nicklin Hames paces the Husker attack with 10.93 assists per set - most in the Big Ten - and she chips in 2.89 digs per set with 12 service aces. Along with Sun and Stivrins, Hames was a repeat All-Big Ten First-Team selection.
• Sophomore outside hitter Madi Kubik adds 2.71 kills per set and 2.54 digs per set.
• Junior transfer middle blocker Kayla Caffey has stepped in for the Huskers and contributed 1.96 kills per set on .362 hitting with 1.04 blocks per set.

Scouting Texas State
• Texas State played 38 matches - more than any team in the country - spread out over both the fall and spring and posted a 30-8 record. The Bobcats won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in November for the third year in a row. Texas State is coming off a 3-1 win at No. 9 Baylor on April 1.
• Janell Fitzgerald paces the Bobcats with 3.47 kills per set on a .311 hitting percentage. She was an All-Sun Belt First-Team selection, and her 462 kills are the most in the nation for the 2020-21 season. Junior setter Emily DeWalt is a three-time Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Year. She averaged 10.73 assists per set this season and posted 1,427 assists for the season to lead the nation.

Series History
• Nebraska is 1-0 all-time against Texas State. That lone win was a 3-0 sweep in 1992.

Coaches
John Cook: 21st year at Nebraska (602-83); 28th year overall (763-156)
• Sean Huiet: 1st year at Texas State (30-8)

2020-21 Huskers at a Glance
• The Huskers return every starter from last year's 28-5 squad that reached the NCAA Regional Final against eventual national runner-up Wisconsin.
• Senior middle blocker Lauren Stivrins and senior outside hitter Lexi Sun were AVCA All-Americans and All-Big Ten First-Team selections in 2019. Junior setter Nicklin Hames was also an All-Big Ten First-Team choice in 2019. Stivrins and Hames return to captain the Huskers for a second straight season.
• Sophomore outside hitter Madi Kubik was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2019 and, along with sophomore libero Kenzie Knuckles, was a member of the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
• The Huskers added four newcomers during the offseason, including junior Missouri transfer Kayla Caffey. The middle blocker ranked ninth nationally with a .408 hitting percentage during the 2019 season. She joins three freshmen who are new to the program: middle blocker Kalynn Meyer, setter Anni Evans and defensive specialist Kaylei Akana.

Huskers Ranked No. 4 in AVCA Coaches Poll
• Nebraska is ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week.
• The Huskers have been ranked No. 1 in 100 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history.
• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 514 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.
• Nebraska has appeared in all 570 AVCA Coaches Polls it has been eligible for since it was established in 1982. With Stanford dropping out of the poll this year, Nebraska is the only program to be ranked in every eligible poll all-time.

Husker Garner Postseason Accolades
• Nebraska volleyball seniors Lauren Stivrins and Lexi Sun and junior Nicklin Hames were voted to the All-Big Ten First Team and the AVCA All-North Region Team. Sophomore outside hitter Madi Kubik was an AVCA All-North Region selection as well, giving the Huskers the same four AVCA All-Region honorees they had in 2019.
• Stivrins is a two-time AVCA All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten First-Team selection. She posted 3.23 kills per set, 1.09 blocks per set and a team-best .468 hitting percentage during the regular season. Stivrins' hitting percentage was the best in the Big Ten and ranked No. 4 in the nation. The middle blocker from Scottsdale, Ariz., had double-digit kills in 10 of 16 matches and hit .400 or better in 13 of 16 matches. Stivrins holds a career hitting percentage of .384, which is fourth-best average in school history and the No. 1 mark in the rally scoring era, which began in 2001. She led the Huskers to a .272 season hitting average and .157 opponent hitting percentage, both of which ranked second in the conference. Stivrins was a unanimous selection for the third year in a row.
• Sun earned All-Big Ten First-Team honors for the second straight year last week after leading the Huskers in kills with 3.82 per set. She also added 2.13 digs per set with 39 blocks and 19 aces on the season and recorded five double-doubles. Sun, who hit .247 for the season, was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week during the 11-week regular season. An AVCA third-team All-American in 2019, Sun reached double-digit kills in 14 of 16 regular-season matches. She ranked fifth among all Big Ten Players in kills per set and was a unanimous choice to the All-Big Ten First Team. In addition to AVCA All-North Region honors in 2019, Sun was an AVCA All-Southwest Region selection while at Texas in 2017.
• Hames also garnered AVCA All-North Region and All-Big Ten First-Team accolades for the second straight season. The junior setter led the Big Ten in assists at 10.93 per set and ranked 17th nationally. The Maryville, Tenn., native posted eight double-doubles in 16 matches, and she served 12 aces. Hames set the Huskers to a .272 regular-season hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the Big Ten.
• Kubik, a sophomore, made the AVCA All-North Region for the second time in as many seasons. She was the AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year in 2019, and this year she put up 2.70 kills and 2.52 digs per set with 19 blocks and 12 aces. A six-rotation hitter for the Big Red, Kubik posted double-doubles in six matches and had nine matches with at least 10 kills.

Record Watch
• Senior middle blocker Lauren Stivrins surpassed 1,000 career kills this season on March 12 against Ohio State and now has 1,057. Stivrins became the 22nd Husker in school history to reach 1,000 career kills at Nebraska and the eighth player to do so in the rally-scoring era (2001-present).
• Stivrins has also established herself as one of the most efficient hitters in Nebraska volleyball history. She has a .384 career hitting percentage, which ranks fourth all-time in school history and first since the rally scoring era began in 2001.
Lexi Sun also owns more than 1,000 career kills with 1,303 (337 as a freshman at Texas in 2017). Jazz Sweet is closing in with 950 career kills.
• Junior setter Nicklin Hames surpassed 3,000 career assists this season and now has 3,302 entering the NCAA Tournament. She became the 10th Husker setter in school history to reach 3,000 career assists at Nebraska and the fourth in the rally scoring era (2001-present), joining Kelly Hunter (4,125), Sydney Anderson (3,332) and Lauren Cook (3,198).

AVCA Hall of Fame Head Coach John Cook in 21st Season at Nebraska
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 21st season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2020-21. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, nine final fours, 12 conference championships and 18 top-10 final rankings since 2000.
• Cook has 763 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .879 win percentage in that time (602-83).
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 57 AVCA All-Americans and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and a seven-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017, his first and second Big Ten honors with the Huskers in their Big Ten era (2011-present).
• Cook is one of only four active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.
• Cook became the ninth active Division I head coach to reach 700 career wins in 2018.
 

slycat

Active member
I won't be able to watch this one today and will live on updates on here and Twitter. Having beat Baylor, I have hope we can sneak in an upset. It would be the biggest win in school history but it sure beats running into the Texas buzz saw in the first round again.
 

franslasttwinkie

Active member
Should we get this going again in the name of playoff spirit like old times? In the new board there isn't a true maroon/gold color selection.

*From an upper floor in a building in the Galleria area/Uptown Houston*

TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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LTK5H

M&G Gift Contributor
M&G Collective Member
Looks like Coach threw a twist in for this match. DeWalt throwing some real quick sets.

10-9 Neb
 

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member
Couple of braincramps giving Neb a bit of breathing room at the 1st media TO: 15-11
 

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member
20-14 Neb, TO TXST

We have to be perfect to hang w/ the Huskers and we're giving away too many pts on errors.
 

franslasttwinkie

Active member
I think Nebraska don' got all they wanted! We fought hard and if we cleaned up some net play I think we could have broken 20 points. Those farmer gals hit the ball a lot harder than Baylor! Haven't studied their roster but I'm sure most of their players are from far out of state
 

LTK5H

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M&G Collective Member
Neb takes S1 25-18

Cats are playing hard, but Nebraska is just so good. We have to be perfect to hang, and we had several goofs that set. Loving the energy though - we gotta keep that going!
 

_x_

M&G Gift Contributor
Should we get this going again in the name of playoff spirit like old times? In the new board there isn't a true maroon/gold color selection.

*From an upper floor in a building in the Galleria area/Uptown Houston*

TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want the exact TXST maroon type in "501214" in the hex color box for text colors. I used it all the time in game threads.
And the gold is 6A5638.

MAROON
GOLD
 
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