ABILENE—The Wildcats saw some great performances from key players over their first weekend of action. Four different Wildcats totaled career-high numbers over the weekend and young players looked poised to make a difference as the season progresses. Senior,
Kennedy Shelstead, posted a career-high 19 kills on a .571 against Albany, while
Eighmy Dobbins posted her first career double-double against Idaho State. Both were named to the all-tournament team and showed great leadership on the court. Sophomore
Lindsey Toney (11 kills) and freshman
Mackenzie Harris (30 digs) each posted career-highs against Idaho State as well.
Weekend outlook
ACU heads to Rice to participate in their Adidas Invitational where they will face Loyola Marymount on Friday night before facing the host school, Rice, on Saturday night. As part of their weekend trip, they will also travel to Prairie View A&M to face the Panthers Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats will face tough competition over the weekend as Rice started the season 3-0 and LMU boasts a 2-1 record.
Scouting the opponent
Rice is coming off of a perfect weekend where they earned three wins without dropping a set. The Owls are led by outside hitter Nicole Lennon who totaled 49 kills on a .317 hitting percentage through their first three matches. After going 24-7 last season and making it to the NCAA tournament, the Owls are looking to continue their early season success. The Wildcats have met the Owls once since joining DI, a 1-3 loss in 2017.
The Wildcats will meet the Loyola Marymount Lions for the first time in the DI era when they face them Friday evening. LMU has a strong volleyball history and last season made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to the eventual national champion, Stanford Cardinal. The team returns five of their starters from last year's team, but added freshman standout, Rose Booth, who powered the team to a 2-1 record in their opening weekend.
Prairie View A&M will also be a new opponent for the Wildcats since joining the DI ranks. A member of the SWAC, the Panthers went 7-25 last season with all seven wins coming in conference play. The Panthers have once again had a slow start to the season going, 0-4 in their opening week. The team is led by outside hitter, Jaylan Thomas and middle blocker, Victoria Pearson. Both have tallied over 30 kills through their first four matches.
Tournament info
9/6 vs. Loyola Marymount 7 p.m.
Live stats
9/7 at Rice 7 p.m.
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9/8 at Prairie View A&M 2 p.m.
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