ABILENE - Junior outside hitter
Madelyn Robinett tripled her season kill total and had the game-winning shot in Abilene Christian's 3-0 win over Incarnate Word Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum. Robinett entered the match with just five kills, but recorded 10 today on 28 attempts (.286) in helping the Wildcats snap a four-match losing streak.
The Amarillo native also dug out 18 attacks, and provided an ace and block assist to finish with 11.5 points. Her 10 kills were a career high for a three-set match and one shy of matching an 11-kill effort from last year's 3-2 home win vs. UIW.
In addition to Robinett, ACU (10-16, 6-10 LSC) also received quality attacking numbers from senior
Kalynne Allen, who in her final game at Moody, drove in 10 kills on 31 attempts (.258). Freshman
Corrie Reeder had a team-high 13.5 points on the strength of 12 kills and two blocks, while Jennie Loerch had two solo blocks and 11 kills.
Libero
Madison Hoover recorded 20 of the team's 79 digs, which are ACU's most this season for a three-set match. Loerch today had a season-best 15 in this category and
Caley Johnson and
Sarah Siemens tied with 11. Siemens also tossed up all but one of the team's 44 assists, finishing with 43. Hoover had the other.
The Wildcats won today's match by scores of 25-23, 26-24, and 25-22, which not only avenged an earlier season sweep to the Cardinals (8-16, 5-10 SLC), but also proved they're capable of finishing out the close victory, something they didn't succeed at Tuesday vs. Commerce, nor Friday vs. Kingsville.
ACU won the first set on a game-ending 8-2 run that started right after UIW took a four-point lead at 21-17. The Wildcats scored the first four points to pull into a 21-21 tie, but then the Cardinals received a kill from Angelique Vidaurri and block from Chetina Chavis to go back up 23-21. Reeder sparked the rally's second half with three consecutive kills that gave ACU its first lead since 11-10, and Loerch clinched it with only her second kill of the set.
In game two, UIW followed a 7-2 ACU run with a big one of its own to tie the score a ninth time at 20-20, and ultimately took the lead three points later - 22-21 - off a block assist from Vidaurri and Allison Smajstria. The Cardinal lead, however, was short lived as the Wildcats scored the next three points, getting kills from Allen and Robinett with a block from Reeder sandwiched in between.
Then it was UIW's turn again as the Cardinals tied the score at 24-24 with points from Vidaurri and Chavis, but ACU would have the final word as a kill from Robinett was followed by a Vidaurri attack error.
After leading by no more than two points during much of the third set, the Wildcats gave themselves some breathing room thanks to a 5-0 run that pushed their advantage to 21-15. That lead would prove to come in handy as the Cardinals started to make some noise late with a 4-0 rally that got them within two points at 23-21, but a kill from Reeder brought ACU to match point and then Robinett won it with a strike over the top of UIW front line.
Chavis led the Cardinals and all players today with 16 points, blocking four shots and drilling 10 kills. Vidaurri and Lind each finished with three solo blocks as UIW out-blocked the Wildcats, 12-6.
The Wildcats play their next four matches on the road, beginning with next weekend's matches at Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas Woman's. ACU closes its 2012 regular season the following weekend at Cameron and Midwestern State.
