Lady Blues Classic Tournament Central
ABILENE – The ACU women's volleyball team heads to Lee Arena on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., this weekend for the sixth-annual Lady Blues Classic.
This year's edition features 10 teams and 20 matches spread out over two days. ACU begins competition Friday at 2 p.m. vs. Nebraska-Omaha, which is on its way to NCAA DI, and then will battle No. 5 Washburn later that night at 6:30 p.m.
The Wildcats face No. 25 Emporia State Saturday at 9 a.m. and complete their stay with a 3 p.m. contest vs. Truman, which just slipped out of the AVCA DII Coaches Top 25 poll earlier this week.
“Our opponents are excellent year-in and year-out and I'm looking forward to seeing our girls face teams that play at a high caliber,” head coach Kellen Mock said on the ACU Coaches' show Monday night. “We're striving to be where these teams are – and like where we've been the last few years – but we have to learn how to be the team that plays at that level.”
ACU enters the tournament at 8-7 overall and 4-3 within the Lone Star Conference following last week's home-court split with #17 West Texas A&M (L, 0-3) and Eastern New Mexico (W, 3-0). The three-set decisions were the Wildcats first since Sept. 10, and provided a degree of relief after being extended to five sets in four of their last five matches.
Senior outside hitter
Jennie Hutt was held in check by the Lady Buffs for the first time all season in being held to five kills, but rebounded nicely vs. the Zias, registering a game-high 18 kills and .444 hitting percentage. The Wildcats also received solid play from fellow senior
Kelsie Edwards, who continues to dig out balls at a solid clip with a per set average this season of 4.86.
“Jennie and Kelsie are pushing this team's competitive nature, and I think a few more wins will take this team off in the right direction,” Mock said. “Kelsie has played phenomenally, and Jennie has done remarkably well in accepting the challenge of putting this team on her back. I've been very impressed with her leadership.”
What hasn't been working as well for ACU has been the blocking, which has dropped from 2.51 blocks per set in 2010 to 1.49 in 2011. The loss of
Shawna Hines to graduation has factored greatly in this statistical dip since she finished last year with 30 solo blocks and 136 assists en route to a 1.42 average. Former Wildcat and current assistant coach
Ijeoma Moronu also played a major role in this category, totaling 102.0 blocks.
Mock said the loss of the team's big blockers has resulted in a lack of consistency, but she's seen recent improvements at practice.
“I've been pushing our team on the defensive end of the ball and seen them make some strides,” she said. “Last year we intimated teams coming into our gym, knowing they'd have to face that big of a block, but we've been more hesitant this year at the net. Sometimes our timing isn't right, but we really have to make sure we're stuffing that opponent.”
ACU is a combined 7-9 against this weekend's opponents, all of which have experienced various successes at the regional and national levels. The Wildcats are 1-3 all-time vs. Washburn, which eliminated them from the regional semifinals a year ago. The Lady Blues then went on to lose 3-0 in the championship match to Central Missouri.
Central Missouri also knocked out Emporia State during the 2010 regional tournament. ACU is 4-2 all-time vs. the Hornets, including a comeback four-set win a year ago when ESU was ranked No. 11.
The Wildcats faced Truman twice in 2010, first losing in five sets during the regular season, but then beat the Bulldogs for the first time in program history during the first round of regionals.
Nebraska-Omaha, winners of the 1996 national title, has split its previous two meeting with the Wildcats, winning in three sets in 2009 and losing in four the following year.
ACU has been a fixture at the Washburn Tournament since its inception, and over the past two seasons has won six of eight matches. Mock seems confident her team will continue to win there if everyone's talents come together at once.
“We're athletic, talented and smart enough to compete with anyone on our schedule, but we're still working on putting in all together,” she said, “And if it doesn't happen this weekend, then let it happen in November. I want us to got out there to earn our opponents respect, and to show people we can use our potential to the fullest.”
Fans can log onto
WUSports.com for more information on the tournament including a complete schedule and list of team's.
Live stats will be provided for three of ACU's four matches.
