Box Score
ABILENE – The Abilene Christian volleyball team eked out a 3-0 win over Lone Star Conference rival A&M-Commerce Thursday night at Moody Coliseum, winning each set by two points: 25-23, 29-27 and 29-27.
The win improved ACU's overall and conference records to 14-11 and 8-5, while Commerce dropped to 8-13 and 3-10.
“We pushed ourselves to the limit tonight, but it feels great to come out with the win,” said senior
Jennie Hutt. “At the beginning of the season we would have lost one of those games, but we've been showing great improvement as of late, and we were able to pull back and make a statement.”
The Wildcats are 7-4 over their last 11 games after starting the year at 7-7.
Hutt finished with a match-high 19 kills (.271) and was especially effective in the second and third sets with respective hitting percentages of .263 and .381.
“I started slow, but started to get into a rhythm midway through the second set,” she said. “I was connecting well with (setter) Haley (Rhoads), who served up some great passes and I was able to see the open spots on the court.”
Hutt was clutch late in the second set after the Lions knotted the score at 21-21, responding with back-to-back kills that forced Commerce to spend its second time out in a span of three points. Hutt then brought the Wildcats to set point at 24-23.
Commerce, however, refused to falter as kills from Rachel Robinson tied the score at 24-24 and 25-25. And then after the Lions deadlocked the set for a 14th time (26-26), the sides exchanged two more points until Wildcats finally pulled away on consecutive kills from freshman
Sara Oxford.
Oxford hit .324 for the match, contributing 16 kills and three block assists.
ACU carried its momentum into the third set to built an 8-3 lead, only to see the Lions rally to tie the score at 13-13 on the strength of six kills from the trio of Robertson, Ezon Onditi and Breanne Snyder, plus an ace from setter Jordan Neal.
From there Hutt came alive once more by scoring five of the Wildcats' next seven points, the last of which provided ACU some much needed breathing room at 20-16.
The lead though wasn't enough as the Lions roared back with a several three-point outbursts. The first two narrowed ACU's lead down to 20-19 and 23-22, and then the third gave Commerce its first lead of the set at 25-24 following an Oxford attacking error.
With their backs against the wall, the Wildcats twice grabbed a one-point lead on kills from Hutt and Oxford, but the Lions had an answer each time, first benefitting an error (Hutt) and then receiving a point from Chelsea Simonton.
The kill from Simonton tied the set for the sixth and final time, as Hutt's ninth kill was immediately followed by Robertson's only attack error of the match. Robertson hit .500 in killing 17 balls on 32 attempts.
As a team, Commerce hit .175 compared to .252 for ACU (58 kills). Robertson was the lone Lion to hit above .200 as several of her teammates were affected by multiple hitting errors.
In addition to Hutt and Oxford, the Wildcats also received another fine performance from sophomore
Neely Borger, who drove in 11 kills and added a solo block.
“We've been growing in confidence and have been more comfortable in the lineup these last few weeks thanks to key players like Neely and Sara,” Hutt said. “Neely has really been clutch at the net with her blocking, which has helped the rest of us on defense since we don't have to work as hard.”
ACU led from start to finish in the first set thanks to an early 4-0 start, but then had to hang on tight after Commerce went on a 10-6 run to get within one point at 21-20. Three straight points by the Wildcats, including two kills from Oxford, brought them to set point, but as would become the pattern in sets two and three, the Lions rolled off a 3-0 run only to be turned away by yet another kill from Oxford.
ACU outdug the Lions, 65-50, 30 of which were by senior
Kelsie Edwards. Rhoads let all players with 51 assists.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Texas Woman's University. ACU lost 3-2 in its first meeting vs. the Pioneers earlier this season.
