ABILENE—Wildcat volleyball did not disappoint in their season opener as they pushed the Mavericks of UTA to the brink on Saturday night. ACU threw the first punch with an opening set win but UT Arlington came right back with a set win of their own. The Wildcats flipped the momentum back in their favor with a 25-18 third set win before the Mavericks rallied to take the final two sets and the match, 3-2.
Despite the outcome, the Wildcats played competitively and looked great for a team who hadn't played in 441 days. This was ACU's first action since November of 2019 and the team also welcomed back their senior leader, Kate Mueller, after an ACL injury sidelined her for most of 2019. The team's quick start in the first set was aided by solid defense as well as UTA's hitting struggles. ACU put up their most efficient hitting effort in the first set, but they stayed consistent throughout the match and tallied a .115 hitting percentage on the night.
Mueller led the way for the Wildcats with a double-double of 20 kills and 12 digs, while Kate Blasingame (12),
Logan Browning (12), and
Mackenzie Harris (18) all tallied double-digit digs as well. Freshman
Braden Bossier debuted with seven kills and three block assists, while
Sarah Nading totaled 24 assists in her first career game.
Breanna Box led ACU with a .242 hitting percentage going 13-for-33 with just five errors.
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-19
Set 2: 20-25
Set 3: 25-18
Set 4: 16-25
Set 5: 6-15
COACH AND PLAYER INTERVIEW
NEWS AND NOTES
- While this was the first action for the Wildcats in well over a year, the Mavericks played an entire fall season playing 18 games with an 11-7 record coming into the match.
- Mueller's double-double was the 20th of her career and her second-straight game with one dating back to the last game of 2019.
- In the two sets they lost, UTA hit .000 and -.053, while they hit at least .263 in each of their winning sets.
- The Wildcats edged the Mavericks in total kills (53-45) and assists (51-43).
- While the teams had comparatively even stats in most categories, UTA held a 14-5 advantage in total blocks.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats and the Mavs will be back at it Saturday afternoon in their second match of the weekend. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
