Women's Volleyball | 11/5/2014 4:40:00 PM
Live Stats vs. McNeese | Live Video
Live Stats vs. Nicholls
ABILENE - Abilene Christian volleyball looks to rebound from consecutive five-set Southland Conference losses this weekend when it plays host to McNeese Thursday at 7 p.m. and Nicholls Saturday at 11 a.m. at Moody Coliseum.
ACU's match vs. the Cowgirls will offer a live video stream and both contests will offer free live stats. The Nicholls start time was pushed up in order to accommodate Wildcat fans wishing to attend this match as well as football's home season finale at 2 p.m.
The Wildcats (4-22, 2-10 SLC) returned home last Saturday following a 2-2 road trip through Louisiana only to lose in heartbreaking fashion to Incarnate Word for the second time this season by scores of 27-25, 25-15, 23-25, 22-25, 15-9.
ACU hit .343 in winning game three, and benefitted from 10 attack errors by the Cardinals in game four as the Wildcats outhit them, .146 to .083.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were unable to recover from another early deficit in game five as the Cardinals started the decisive set with three consecutive kills - two of which were by Angelique Vidaurri, who led all players with 26.5 points.
ACU climbed to within a point at 5-4 on a kill from junior outside hitter
Jennifer Loerch, but then UIW scored the next three points to force the Wildcats into a timeout. The home team would not get closer than two points the rest of the way as the Cardinals finished on a 6-2 run with the last point coming on an attack error.
Loerch led the Wildcats with 14 kills and enters this weekend's competitions ranked fifth in kills per set at 3.68. Junior libero
Madison Hoover also ranks among the league leaders in digs with 3.86 per set despite sitting out the last few weeks with an injury. Hoover has 216 digs through 56 sets this fall.
McNeese (14-14, 4-8 SLC) has won its last two and four of its last six since enduring a three-week span in which the Cowgirls lost nine of 10 matches with their lone win coming in five sets vs. Lamar.
But following its back-to-back sweeps of New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese is now outhitting its opposition .188 to .179 in addition to racking up a league best 185 service aces (1.78 per set). Junior Cowgirl Malina Sanchez is tops in the conference with 60 aces and per set average of 0.65. She also is one of four McNeese players who is averaging better than 2.00 kills per set along with Rachel Cagnina (2.91), Amber Fryer (2.69) and Rebecca Korenek (2.01).
Nicholls (9-16, 5-7 SLC) is one of the six Southland teams which has defeated the Wildcats in five sets as the two sides recently met during the final week of October.
An improbable 8-2 run by the Wildcats at the end of game four forced a winner-take-all game five, but once there ACU couldn't outhit the hometown Colonels and lost by scores of 25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25 and 15-11. The Wildcats hit a match high .368 in game five, delivering seven kills on 19 attempts, but Nicholls countered with 11 kills on 21 attempts for a .476 attack percentage.
ACU held a slim advantage in game five through the first several rallies until Emily Weimer tied the score at 5-5 on a kill that kickstarted a 3-0 run that gave the Colonels the lead for good. Kali Schwartz followed Weimer's point with consecutive kills and finished the night with 18 points, which included half her team's six service aces.
Following their match with the Wildcats, the Colonels lost in five to the Lions before producing a 3-0 win over the Privateers. Nicholls will play at Incarnate Word Thursday night before heading north to the Key City.
The Colonels have been led much of the season offensively by sophomore Kaci Eaton, who ranks second in kills with 4.22 per set. Kalynn Egea, meanwhile, ranks seventh in service aces (0.33) and first in digs (5.80).
