ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats received a fourth straight loss on Thursday, falling to the Utah Tech Trailblazers, 3-0.
Despite the sweep, all three sets were tightly contested, with ACU falling 21-25, 22-25 and 25-27.
All sets also looked the same throughout the whole match, with both teams being knotted up until the teams hit the 20-point mark. Then, to end each set, the Trailblazers went on a 4-0, 5-0 and 3-0 run to take control and win each set.
What helped edge the Trailblazers over the Wildcats was their hitting percentage. Utah Tech finished the match hitting .320 percent while holding ACU to .190 percent. The Trailblazers had 46 kills to ACU's 42, but the Wildcats' 20 hitting errors helped Utah Tech and was a key factor in the match.
As for other stats, ACU held the ace advantage of nine to six and the assist advantage 42 to 40, but Utah Tech out-blocked the Wildcats 11-5.
Alexis Strong led the way hitting for ACU, finishing the match with 15 kills.
Freshman Annaleise Sevier had a career night, leading the 'Cats with a career-best three blocks while also having a career-high four kills. Freshman Avery Thaler was also big at the net, adding another three blocks.
Madeline Guffy led ACU at the service line with three aces and led the offense with 21 assists. Just behind Guffy in assists was Rachel Koss with 16 assists. Libero Abby Christian finished with a team-best 10 digs while tying her season high with two aces. Izabelle Larson also had two aces and Bryley Steinhilber added nine kills, six digs and two aces.
Up next, the Wildcats hope to snap their losing streak against Tarleton State. The two teams faced off in Stephenville on October 10, where ACU earned a 3-2 win. The win against the Texans was the team's last win before dropping four straight games.
The I-20 rivalry will be renewed on Monday, October 28 at 6 p.m., with the game also being Groovy 'Cats and Greek Night.
If you can't catch the match in person, you can stream it live on ESPN+, or you can also receive updates by following the team on social media on Instagram, X, Facebook and acusports.com.
#Unshakeable #GoWildcats
