ABILENE— It was another closely contested match for the Wildcats in their Southland Conference opener. The team took the opening set by two points, 25-23, and the Cardinals answered with an extra point set two win, 31-29. With the momentum in their favor, UIW took an early third set lead and earned the 25-16 win. The Wildcats had control of the game late in the fourth set, up 24-20, and UIW was able to make the game interesting but ACU forced the fifth set with a 26-24 win. This time it was the Wildcats turn to use their winning momentum to start a set as they took the 6-1 lead in the fifth. Again, the Cardinals would not let up easily and used a late 5-0 run to cut into the ACU lead, but the Wildcats held on for the 15-12 win.
It was a true team effort for ACU as they had multiple players contribute to the win.
Katelyn Mueller (22k, 16d) and
Kate Blasingame (18k, 17d) each recorded double-doubles for the third and second time, respectively, while
Madison Rohre (23a, 11d) notched her first of the season.
Breanna Box (13) and
Lindsey Toney (10) each totaled double-digit kills for the Wildcats and Box led the team with a .344 hitting percentage. The team had five different players register double-digit digs with
Mackenzie Harris leading the way with 20.
Scoring Summary
Set 1: 25-23
Set 2: 29-31
Set 3: 16-25
Set 4: 26-24
Set 5: 15-12
Mooney Said It
On the teams third set struggles: "UIW really served well tonight and played exceptional defense. They got us out of system more than we would have liked especially in the third set. We became one dimensional and easy to defend."
On Brea finding success late in the match: "Once we settled down with our first contact, we were able to get the ball to Brea in the middle. She really capitalized on the one on one block they were putting up against her."
On Zoe's collegiate debut: "Zoe did a great job coming off the bench in her first action as a Wildcat. She provided a steadiness and calmness in the middle and was able to deflect balls at the net at big times late in the match."
On her team's ability to close out the five set win: "Overall, I'm really happy with our team, the resiliency they showed and their ability to keep their composure to the final point of the 5th set."
News and Notes
- For the first time in her career, Katelyn Mueller has started a season with three-straight double-doubles. The senior had 22 kills and 16 digs.
- The Wildcats defense continues to be a balanced effort. The team has had at least four players with double-digit kills in each of their first three matches and tonight had five reach the mark.
- Despite being outhit in the match, the Wildcats had their best hitting performance in the fifth set with 12 kills on a .303 hitting percentage and held UIW to just .200 in the fifth set with only seven kills for their worst hitting set of the night.
- With her 22 kills, Mueller moved up to fifth all-time in ACU's DI history for kills. She now has 667 for her career passing Lexi Mercier who had 659.
- Mueller's performance also sits at fifth all-time for kills in a set.
- Blasingame's 18 kills and 17 digs gave her the 22nd double-double of her career.
- The Wildcats' 69 kills are the third most in the DI-era for a match, while their 222 attempts were the most ever in a match.
- The Wildcats also totaled the third most digs in a match in DI history with 90.
Up Next
The Wildcats will travel on to Corpus Christi to take on the Islanders on Saturday afternoon, first serve will be at 1 p.m. AMCC is coming off of a five-set thriller with SFA where the 'Jacks took the 3-2 win.
