HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Three Wildcats scored in double figures and setter
Kendall Bosse posted a double-double in leading Abilene Christian volleyball to a 3-0 victory over Sam Houston State Halloween night at Johnson Coliseum.
The 25-23, 25-18, 25-22 victory was ACU's 10th of the season and evened its Southland Conference record at 6-6, while the Bearkats slipped to 13-12 and 9-3, having lost their third-straight match and only the second time on their home court.
ACU's sweep was its third of the season – second in conference play – and did not come easy.
The Wildcats snapped an 8-8 tie with a 10-3 run in third set only to see the Bearkats climb back to within a point at 21-20 thanks to three-consecutive kills from Jordyn Vaughn, Courtney Littlefield and Ashley Lewis. But ACU caught a break with Littlefield's subsequent attack error and followed up with a kill and block from junior
Lauren Walker.
A native of Round Rock, Walker tonight was part of three blocks and delivered nine kills on 22 attempts (.273) – including the match-winner after Sam Houston made it 24-22. Freshman
Lorin McNeil, also was a major contributor offensively and defensively, racking up six kills and six blocks, while the outside duo of
Jacey Smith and
Marybeth Sandercox tied for the team lead with 10 kills.
"Overall, this was an excellent team win tonight for our program," said head coach
Angela Mooney. "We executed our defensive plan and made great in-game adjustments. Sam Houston is a great team and I'm so very proud of how focused and tough our team played … they truly kept their composure and played with a sense of maturity. It was an awesome night of growth for our program."
ACU finished with nine blocks and dug out 65 of 130 attacks as the home team was limited to a .108 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero
Amanda Chapa did "a phenomenal job defensively … and passed exceptionally well," according to Mooney finishing with 25 digs (8.3 per set), while Bosse dug out 13 attacks and assisted on 41 of ACU's 43 kills.
The Wildcats' evening started with an inspired comeback in the first set. They trailed by as many as six points in the early stages before mounting a 7-2 run that including five kills and two blocks, which gave them their first lead at 23-22.
Sam Houston tied the score once more at 23-23 on a
Katelyn Mueller error, however, the Bearkats gave the lead right back on consecutive mishits by Vaughn (12K, .111) and Cunningham (5K, .050).
ACU continued to control the pace throughout the second set, building a seven-point lead at 14-7 and never letting the Bearkats get any closer than five points. After Sam Houston closed the gap to 22-17, the Wildcats received three kills from Smith and Walker and finished the set with a solid .250 hitting percentage.
The Wildcats return to action Thursday for a 6 p.m. home match vs. second-place Stephen F. Austin, which tonight lost 3-0 at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. ACU defeated the Ladyjacks, 3-2, during last season's meeting at Moody Coliseum.
