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Kate Blasingame, Breanna Box, and Sarah Nading put up a block against UTA
Bryan Box

Women's Volleyball

Volleyball opens Southland play on the road

ABILENE—After an impressive opening weekend at home, the Wildcats make their way to San Antonio for their first stop in Southland Conference play. ACU will face UIW on Thursday night before continuing on to Corpus Christi to face the Islanders on Saturday. The team welcomed UT Arlington this past weekend for two exciting and competitive games and hope to carry that competitiveness with them on the road. The team is 1-1, dropping the first match of last weekend in five sets before rallying on Saturday for a five-set win of their own.  

WILDCATS WEEKEND OUTLOOK 

The Wildcats put up some solid numbers in their first weekend of action. In their win over UTA the team totaled 64 kills and 80 digs, both numbers would have been season-high's in 2019. The 64 kills was also a top-10 mark for the Wildcats in the DI era. Outside of team success, several individuals stepped up as well, Katelyn Mueller posted a double-double in each of the matches with Kate Blasingame earning one for herself in their second match. Lindsey Toney stepped up in a big way in the second match with 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage. The Wildcats also had four different players who registered double digit digs in each of the first two matches as well. 

The team will need their top players to step up once again as they face tough competition this weekend. The Cardinals are 0-2 on the season after facing Prairie View and UTSA in their opening weekend. Last season the Wildcats split with UIW winning at home and pushing them to five sets on the road but couldn't earn the win. The Islanders are 2-0 after opening their season with games against UTRGV and UTSA. ACU also split with AMCC last year, earning a home win in four but falling in straight sets on the road. 

ACU PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sarah Nading sets the ball in a match against UTA
Sarah Nading
Brea Box attacks against UTA
Breanna Box

The freshman had a stellar start to her career as she led the Wildcats in assists on both nights. She complements the veteran, Rohre, well and had a great connection with her hitters through 10 sets. She also gave the Wildcats a much needed blocking presence on the right side, including the game winning point on Saturday. 

Box had a solid weekend to open spring play. The middle had double-digit kills in each of the first two matches and it is clear that her offense has taken a step since last season. She totaled just five block assists on the weekend, but that should improve as the season progresses. If her blocking catches up with her offense, she will be a premier middle in the Southland.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

  • Much like ACU, the Cardinals are a young team with 12 freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
  • Despite being 0-2, both losses came in five sets with only one set being decided by more than six points.
  • Bethany Clapp leads the way for the Cardinals with two double-doubles, averaging 4.1 kills per set and 2.8 digs per set.
  • After not playing in their first match, Pilar Gonzaba, played against UTSA and totaled 48 assists in the match.

SCOUTING THE ISLANDERS

  • Corpus brings back a good portion of their team from a season ago, but their most notable loss was their setter Madison Green, a first-team all-conference player and Setter of the Year in 2019.
  • What they return, is almost all of their offensive weapons from 2019. Chloe Simon, Kylee Filipiak, and Rachel Young all return and had solid performances in opening weekend.
  • The team opened their season with a straight-set victory over UTRGV before handing UTSA a loss in four sets. 
  • As a team, the Islanders are hitting .317 while holding their opponents to a .170 hitting percentage.