Wildcats Win 3-0 At ENMU

Saturday, October 29

Portales, NM

8 p.m. (CST)

Abilene Christian

Eastern New Mexico

10/29/2011 10:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

PORTALES, N.M. – The Abilene Christian volleyball team salvaged a split of its final regular season road trip after recording a 3-0 victory at Eastern New Mexico Saturday night, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-16.

The victory lifted the Wildcats' overall and Lone Star Conference records to 17-12 and 11-6, keeping them in third place and a game ahead of 10-7 Tarleton State with three matches left to play.

The loss was the Zias' seventh straight, sending their record to 5-22 and 1-17.

ACU hit .243 with three players – Neely Borger, Jennie Hutt and Sara Oxford – all hitting better than .300 and registering 10 or more kills. Borger led all players with a.409 hitting percentage (12 kills) and was part of eight blocks to finish the match with 16 points.

Hutt and Oxford each had 10 kills. Haley Rhoads set up 30 assists, and Kelsie Edwards was credited with 19 digs.

Eastern New Mexico was held to a .124 hitting percentage, led by Jessica King's eight kills.

The Wildcats led from start to finish in the first set, but after a seven-point lead was trimmed to one – forcing ACU to call a timeout – they immediately responded with consecutive kills from Hutt and Oxford, and later benefitted from three Zia attack errors that gave them a 21-17 lead. Hutt and Oxford clinched the set with one more kill each after Eastern New Mexico pulled within three at 23-20.

The Zias grabbed a quick lead in game two and led 13-11 before the Wildcats responded with a 10-0 run. Borger scored seven of her points during this stretching, including four blocks and three kills, and then provided three of ACU's final four kills in closing out the set.

The Wildcats again responded with a game-changing run in the third set after trailing at the midway point, scoring eight of the next 10 points to break a 12-12 tie. Madelyn Robinett delivered two straight services aces in giving ACU a 16-13 lead, and follow-up points from Borger and Aubree Vick made it a 22-16 game. Oxford and Hutt closed out the third set with back-to-back kills.

ACU begins its final week of the regular season Tuesday, playing host to Angelo State at 7 p.m., followed by matches Thursday and Saturday vs. Midwestern State and Cameron, respectively. The Wildcats are 7-1 at Moody Coliseum this season.