TULSA, Okla. – Abilene Christian volleyball overcame a slight fifth-set deficit with a match-ending 8-2 run to defeat Oral Roberts (3-5) and snap a seven-match losing streak Saturday at Tulsa's Reynolds Center.
ORU took an 8-7 lead in the final set on a Wildcat service error, but it was all ACU afterward as head coach
Angela Mooney's team scored the next five points on a combination of kills and blocks from
Katelyn Mueller,
Lorin McNeil and
Kendall Bosse. A point from ORU's Taylan Nero cut ACU's lead to 13-10, but that's as close as the Golden Eagles would get as McNeil's team-best 18th kill (.484) was followed by an ORU attack error.
"I' proud of our players and the way we have continued to grow and mature every time we step onto the court this preseason," said Mooney. "Today we settled into our style of play and competed with a lot of composure when the set got close. In the past, we might have gotten tight and gone away from the way we want to play and control the match."
ACU lost the first set 25-18 but came back to win the next two by scores of 25-18 and 25-19. They limited ORU to a .043 hitting percentage in the second set and finished on a 12-6 run after the Golden Eagles tied the score a ninth and final time at 13-13, and in the third set ACU hit .308 in coming back from an early three-point deficit.
The Wildcats then dropped set four, 25-22, as they were never able to catch the Golden Eagles after the designated home team jumped out to a five-point lead at 8-3.
McNeil and her fellow middle blocker
Lauren Walker continued to shine in the fifth set as the two were involved in over half the 15 points. Walker scored 15.5 points today on 11 kills (.269) and seven block assists, while McNeil received all-tournament honors after totaling a match-high 23.0 points on 18 kills (.484) and 10 block assists.
Outside hitters Mueller (11K) and
Jacey Smith (11K) also recorded double-digit point totals of 13.5 and 13.0, respectively, with a combined 38 digs. Libero
Lillian Drever, meanwhile, dug out 26 attacks and averaged 6.0 per set this weekend in also being named all-tournament.
ACU outhit this weekend's opposition, .209 to .165, with per set averages of 11.6 kills, 17 digs and 2.4 blocks.
"We had multiple players today with double-doubles (Mueller, McNeil and
Jacey Smith), our block was tough, and we really executed our middle play well," said Mooney. "Lily (Drever) stepped into the libero position and passed great numbers, but I'm most impressed with her defensive numbers. Lorin too had yet another productive weekend. She blocked well and was able to hit high numbers against two good teams."
The Wildcats return to action next weekend for a tournament at SMU, where they'll face the host Mustangs, LSU and Liberty.
