ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats make their return to Moody Coliseum this upcoming weekend, with matches against Utah Tech and Tarleton State on deck.
This week, ACU's schedule will look a little different. First, the Wildcat will match up with the Utah Tech Trailblazers in Moody Coliseum on Thursday at 6 p.m. in their Volley for a Cause, like normal. Then, the 'Cats will have Saturday off due to a bye. The team will return to play on Monday, October 28 at 6 p.m. against Big Country rival, Tarleton State, for Groovy Cats and Greek Night.
Both games out west will both stream live on ESPN+.
ACU Storylines:
LAST WEEK OUT WEST: The Wildcats' road struggles continued as they headed west to Orem, Utah, and Seattle. First, ACU fell to Utah Valley on Thursday 3-0, then headed further north to Seattle U, where they fell in four sets.
WAC STANDINGS: The 'Cats are 8-11 overall and 3-5 in WAC play, good for sixth in the conference standings. UT Arlington is still at the top of the standings due to being 8-0 in conference play. Grand Canyon, Utah Valley, Utah Tech and Southern Utah are ahead of the Wildcats in the standing. Three teams are behind the Wildcats, those being Seattle U, Tarleton State and California Baptist.
HOME SWEET HOME: ACU is 4-1 in games inside of Moody Coliseum this season. The wins included matches against Alabama A&M, Oral Roberts, California Baptist and Seattle U. The only loss came at the hands of the top team in the WAC, UT Arlington.
FIVE SET WONDERS: The Wildcats are 4-0 this season when a game goes to five sets. Those include wins over Oral Roberts, California Baptist, Seattle U and Tarleton State.
THE OUTSIDE SWINGING IN: Bryley Steinhilber leads the Wildcats with 204 kills this season, on pace to break her single-season record of 263 kills she earned in 2022. She also has a .172 hitting percentage, a best among all pin hitters.
BLOCK PARTY: Hannah Gonzales leads the team with 57 blocks. Gonzalez also adds 146 kills with a team-best .216 hitting percentage. Avery Thaler is second in blocks with 33 so far this season.
SET IT UP: Two setters help run the offense for the Wildcats. First, Madeline Guffy led the team with 442 assists in her senior season. Rachel Koss also added 122 assists this season after being sidelined for the first half of the season due to injury.
DIG DEEP: Sara Carrizales leads the team's back row defense with 199 digs in her junior year. She also averages 2.93 digs per set and a .915 reception percentage.
History with Utah Tech
- UTU leads the series, 3-1
- Current Streak: UTU, 1 win
- Last ACU win: Oct. 7, 2023, 3-2
- Last UTU win: Sept. 26, 2024, 3-0
Scouting the Trailblazers
- The Trailblazers are 11-7 overall and are 5-3 in conference play this season.
- Utah Tech sits in fourth the Western Athletic Conference standings.
- This is the second time the two teams will be playing each other this season, with Utah Tech taking the first match this season in St. George, Utah, 3-0.
- Kennedi Knudsen leads the Trailblazers with 241 kills so far this season. Marley Roe leads the setting efforts with 370 assists, with Meg Carter right behind her with 248 assists.
- Defensively, Casey Fried leads the team with 90 blocks and Mya Laufiso has 240 digs. Laufiso also leads the team with 23 aces this season.
History with Tarleton State
- The Wildcats lead the series, 13-7
- Current Streak: ACU, 1 win
- Last ACU win: Oct. 10 2024, 3-2
- Last TSU win: Nov. 13 2023, 3-1
Scouting the Texans
- Tarleton State is 6-15 so far this season and is 1-7 in conference play.
- The Texans are eighth in the conference standings.
- The Wildcats and the Texans have already had a nail-biting matchup in Stephenville, with the Wildcats taking a 3-2 win on October 10.
- Allison Bryant leads the team with 310 kills and is second with aces with 20. Megan Hodges runs the offense with 507 assists and Yuna Ansquer leads the team with 22 aces.
- As for the Texans' defense, Emma Burke leads the team on the net with 79 blocks, and Emma Holcomb is still top of the WAC with 318 digs so far this season.
#Unshakeable #GoWildcats
