DALLAS – Abilene Christian volleyball fell in four sets to LSU and was defeated in five to host SMU in concluding its non-conference schedule Friday at the Mustangs' Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats (3-9) came all the way back from an early six-point deficit in the fourth set vs. SMU to tie the score at 19-19 on a block from juniors
Marybeth Sandercox and
Kennedy Shelstead and took the lead for good on consecutive kills from Sandercox (15K) and senior
Jacey Smith, who posted a 14 kill / 10 dig double-double in the nightcap.
Two possessions later, Sandercox delivered her fourth kill of the set after the Mustangs trimmed ACU's lead down to one point at 22-21. A Mustang attack error followed in bringing ACU to match point, and then Rachel Woulfe was stuffed at the net by Smith and senior
Lauren Walker (12K).
Moving into the fifth set, the Wildcats got off to a slow start offensively with three consecutive attack errors contributing to a 10-3 SMU lead that proved difficult to reduce as ACU got no closer than four points the rest of the way.
SMU won all the odd sets tonight by scores of 25-22, 25-14, 15-10, and twice watched the Wildcats even the battle with victories in sets two (25-22) and four (25-21).
ACU powered its way back in the first set despite trailing twice by six points, but dropped the final four after gaining a 22-21 lead on a kill from Smith. But in the second set, it was the Wildcats who rallied down the stretch, scoring six of the last eight points after the Mustangs went ahead 20-19. Smith gave her team a 21-20 lead and then it was Walker and
Kendall Bosse combining once more on one of the Wildcats' 10 team blocks.
Freshman
Lindsey Toney tallied the team's 24th point of the set and Bosse then snuck one over the net for the set winner. But little of that success carried over into the fifth set where the Mustangs utilized an early 14-2 run to build a 12-point advantage.
Bosse hit .385 vs. the Mustangs with seven kills, a team-high 17 digs, four blocks and 46 assists, and earlier she provided 36 assists vs. LSU to come out of today's twinbill with a 9.11 per set average.
Similar to the Mustangs, the Tigers also broke free of the Wildcats after dropping a closely contested second set, 27-25.
ACU hung with LSU throughout the entire set, never trailing by any more than three points, and eventually took off on a 10-4 run in grabbing its largest lead of the match at 23-18.
But the Tigers proved tough to neutralize as two service aces, kills from Katie Kampen and Toni Rodriguez, and a couple of blocks helped them retake the lead at 25-24. The Wildcats, however, were helped on the next play by a ball-handling error and then Shelstead and Mueller blocked two consecutive attacks from Rodriguez.
The remainder of the match was not easy. LSU snapped a 15-15 tie in the third set with a 10-2 flourish, and in the fourth set, Milan Stokes stoked a 4-1 run to break an 8-8 deadlock. Then after ACU clawed its way back to make it a one-point set at 15-14, the Tigers surrendered just three additional points in winning by eight points, 25-17.
The Wildcats return to action Thursday, Sept. 20 at home vs. Lamar at 6 p.m. for the start of Southland Conference season. They also will play host to McNeese Saturday at 1 p.m. during their weekend homestand.
