Wildcats Get Five-Set Win Over T-Birds

ABILENE – Utah Tech stretched Abilene Christian to a fifth set but the Wildcats flexed for a 3-2 Western Athletic Conference win on Saturday.
 
ACU dominated the fifth set for the 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 15-25, 15-7 victory.
 
The Wildcats in the first set broke open a 6-5 game with a 6-0 run fueled by three kills and a Breanna Box block for a 12-5 lead. UT got no closer than four points from there.
 
The Cats blasted off to a 9-1 lead in the second set with Bryley Steinhilber getting a pair of kills in the spree. ACU led by as many as 11 points in the set, which ended on a Steinhilber kill.
 
ACU let a 20-17 lead slip away in the third set and the Thunderbirds rode that momentum for a fourth-set win.
 
The Wildcats were on target offensively in the deciding set, connecting for a .455 attack percentage.
 
Ashli Edmiston opened with back-to-back kills, but Tech rallied for a 5-4 lead. ACU answered with nine consecutive points, including two kills each by Steinhilber and Hannah Gonzalez, for a 13-5 lead. Alexis Strong ended the match with a kill.
 
"I think we just needed to get back to controlling our side of the court and I'm really proud of the way we were able to connect today," said ACU Head Coach Ijeoma Moronu Asltrup. "It looked better than all of the other five-set matches we've had so far. I think that shows a lot of growth."
 
Steinhilber led the Cats with 19 kills and added 11 digs while Madeline Guffy added four aces and 31 assists. Edmiston had nine kills.
 
"Bryley is someone we can rely on both front row and back row," said Moronu Alstrup. "Her defensive effort is what was most impressive to me today."
 
Andie Sheppard came up with a team-leading 15 digs and Sara Carrizales added 12.
 
Now 9-9 overall and 4-2 in the WAC, ACU plays at Texas-Arlington at 6 p.m. on Thursday.