DENTON, Texas – The Abilene Christian women's volleyball team lost its first Lone Star Conference match in agonizing fashion after dropping the final three sets of its match to Texas Woman's University Saturday afternoon at Kitty Magee Arena.
ACU won the first two sets 25-17 and 25-22, but TWU captured the next three, 25-22, 25-14 and 17-15. Five Wildcat matches have been stretched to a fifth set this season, including three of the last four. ACU is 3-2 when reaching the deciding set but Saturday's contest marked the second time they lost after leading 2-0.
The loss lowered the Wildcats' season record to 7-5 and its conference mark to 3-1, while the Pioneers improved to 2-7 (2-3 LSC).
ACU controlled the first set with a .400 hitting percentage and then led from start to finish in the second. But the tied started to turn in the Pioneers' favor in the third set as they maintained a slight lead throughout after jumping out to a 4-0 lead.
TWU posted another strong showing in the fourth set, winning by 11 points thanks to a .333 hitting percentage while ACU struggled behind eight errors (.091).
The Wildcats made a late push in the fifth set to take a 15-14 lead, but the Pioneers struck back with consecutive kills from Katelyn Osborne and Chloe' Tate, and then won it on
Rachel Riley's attacking error. Neither team led by more than two points during the final set.
Tate and Viktorija Jablonska shared the TWU lead with18 kills. Tate committed five errors in the game for a .302 hitting percentage and recorded six blocks including three solo on defense.
Jennie Hutt again led the Wildcats with 23 kills and received further offensive support from
Sara Oxford (18 kills, .412 hitting percentage) and
Neely Borger (12 kills, .333). Freshman Haley Rhoades accounted for 59 of ACU's 65 assists while
Kelsie Edwards was tops on defense with 30 digs.
The Wildcats wrap their three-game conference road trip Monday with a rematch vs. Incarnate Word. The match begins at 7 p.m.
Information from Texas Woman's University was used in this release.
