Texas Tech visits Moody Coliseum Tuesday Night

ABILENE – Back-To-School Week for Abilene Christian starts with a bang when the volleyball team welcomes Texas Tech (3-0) back to Moody Coliseum for the first time since 2013. First serve Tuesday night is slated for 6 p.m.

The match will be covered by ACUTV and streamed live on ACUSports.com. Fans also can receive in-game updates via the @ACU_Volleyball twitter feed and StatBroadcast.

The Red Raiders and Wildcats renewed their long-dormant rivalry five years ago when ACU jumped into the Southland Conference, and since then Texas Tech has won four of five matches with its only loss taking place here in the Big Country on Sept. 10, 2013.

In what was only their fifth D1 match of that season, the Wildcats – led by then-head coach Kellen Mock – avenged a previous 3-0 loss in Lubbock by beating the Red Raiders in four sets (25-11, 13-25, 25-18, 26-24). The match-winning kill was delivered by middle blocker Lexi Mercier, who sent the raucous crowd of 1,300 fans into an absolute frenzy.

 

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The Wildcats also were helped by sterling performances from outside hitter Jennifer Loerch (16 kills), libero Madison Hoover (22 digs) and Madelyn Robinett, who provided three aces and stood at the service line for 12 consecutive points in the first set, advancing the Wildcat lead from 11-10 to 23-10.

Since then, however, the Red Raiders have controlled the series by registering three consecutive sweeps in Lubbock. Texas Tech won last year's match, 25-12, 25-20, 25-20, in what was a homecoming for former Red Raider letter winner and current ACU head coach Angela Mooney.  

In beginning her second season on the bench, Mooney has the Wildcats off to a 2-2 start that is the program's best since 2013. ACU started the year with consecutive wins in Atlanta over Georgetown (3-1) and Winthrop (W, 3-2) but fell in three to tournament host Georgia Tech and dropped a 3-2 decision to Idaho State.

The Wildcats won their last three sets to beat the Hoyas, and last two to topple the Eagles of Winthrop. ACU then came very close to beating the Bengals Saturday after losing the first two sets, but its fifth-set rally fell short, 15-12.

ACU hit .210 through its first weekend with per set averages of 11.4 kills, 10.4 assists, 12.8 digs, 1.5 aces and 2.1 blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Mueller led all Wildcat scorers with 68.5 points on 58 kills, eight aces and five blocks and was an honorable mention for Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Mueller recorded a career single-match high 19 kills vs. both the Bengals and Hoyas, and tied a Wildcat D1 era record with five aces vs. Idaho State.

Mueller's classmate Lorin McNeil also played well in accumulating 32.5 points and averaging 1.4 blocks per set – totals that earned her a honorable mention for Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Senior setter Kendall Bosse was voted onto the Georgia Tech Hyatt Regency All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.3 assists per set and surpassing 2,000 for her career. She also provided 12 kills, two aces, 41 digs and nine blocks.

Defensively, senior libero Mikai Brown appeared in 16 of 17 sets and dug out a team-high 58 attacks (3.6 per set). Her 19 digs vs. the Hoyas were a single-match career high.

Texas Tech comes to town with a 3-0 record after beating Northwestern State (3-0), North Dakota (3-0) and Rice (3-2) all at home. The Red Raiders outhit their opposition .268 to .135 led by Katy Keenan (.500, 2.5 k/s) and Emily Hill (2.8 k/s).