ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats will hope to snap a five-game losing streak this weekend as they take on Grand Canyon on Thursday at UT Arlington on Monday.
Up first, ACU has the final game of their three-game homestead on Thursday, October 31, where they will face last year's WAC tournament champion, Grand Canyon, for the first time this season. Then, the Wildcats will head to Arlington on November 4 for a rematch against the UT Arlington Mavericks.
Both games out in the Lone Star State will both stream live on ESPN+.
ACU Storylines:
LAST WEEK IN MOODY: The Wildcats dropped two games at home over the weekend, with losses to Utah Tech and Tarleton State. ACU was swept by the Trailblazers on Thursday and fell in four sets to the Texans on Monday.
WAC STANDINGS: The 'Cats are 8-13 overall and 3-7 in WAC play, good for sixth in the conference standings. UT Arlington is still at the top of the standings and has clinched a tournament bid, due to being 10-0 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, California Baptist and Tarleton State.
TOUGH HOMESTRETCH: Over the last six games of the season, five of the games ACU will play are against teams in the top five in the conference. That includes two matches with Grand Canyon and rematches against UTA, Utah Valley and Southern Utah.
FIVE SET WONDERS: The Wildcats are still 4-0 this season when a match goes to five sets. Those include wins over Oral Roberts, California Baptist, Seattle U and Tarleton State.
SEVIER STORMS BREWING: Freshman Annaleise Sevier has made a name for herself over the past few games, proving to be a force to be reckoned with. In her first two career starts this past weekend, Sevier had 16 kills while hitting .209 percent, a best from ACU pin hitters last weekend. She also added 11 digs and five blocks over the last two games.
CAPTAIN STEINHILBER: Senior and team captain Bryley Steinhilber still leads the team this season with 226 kills and a season-best .169 hitting percentage among all outside hitters. She led the Wildcats with 22 kills last weekend and had a double-double in the match against Tarleton.
FROM THE MIDDLE: Hannah Gonzales leads the team with 62 blocks so far this season. Gonzalez also adds 167 kills with a team-best .232 hitting percentage. She also had a career-high 14 kills in the match against Tarleton State on Monday. Avery Thaler is second in blocks with 36 so far this season.
SET IT UP: Two setters help run the offense for the Wildcats. First, Madeline Guffy leads the team with 492 assists in her senior season. Rachel Koss also adds 150 assists this season after being sidelined for the first half of the season due to injury.
LIBERO ACTION: As of late, sophomore Abby Christian has taken over libero duties for the Wildcats. In her two games as libero, she has had 37 digs with eight assists and four aces while boasting a .967 reception percentage. She had a career night as well on Monday, having 27 digs in the match against the Texans.
History with Grand Canyon
- GCU leads the series, 3-1
- Current Streak: GCU, 2 wins
- Last ACU win: Oct. 15, 2022, 3-2
- Last UTU win: Nov. 4 2023, 3-0
Scouting the Lopes
- The Lopes are 14-8 overall and are 7-3 in conference play.
- Grand Canyon is third in the WAC standings, behind overall leader UT Arlington, and tied with Utah Tech in terms of conference wins.
- Tatum Parrott leads the Lopes with 291 kills while hitting .220 this season. Taylor Kubacak leads the offense with 608 assists and also leads the team with 35 aces. Parrott is second in aces with 28.
- Defensively, Trista Strasser leads the Lopes with 109 blocks so far this season. Mykenna Nelson leads the back row defense with 316 digs while averaging a .975 reception percentage.
History with UT Arlington
- The Mavericks lead the series, 7-4
- Current Streak: UTA, 1 win
- Last ACU win: Oct. 12 2023, 3-2
- Last UTA win: Oct. 12 2024, 3-0
Scouting the Mavericks
- UT Arlington is 20-2 so far this season and is 10-0 in conference play.
- The Texans are at the top of the conference standings, already clinching a spot in the WAC tournament.
- The Wildcats and the Mavericks have already met this season, with the Mavericks sweeping ACU in Moody Coliseum on October 12.
- Brianna Ford leads the WAC and her team with 342 while hitting .314 percent. She is also second in digs, blocks and aces for her team.
- Mollie Blank runs the team's 5-1 offense, leading the WAC with 811 assists. Samantha Glenn leads the team with 281 digs, and Paige Reagor leads the blocking effort with 110 so far this season. Cansu Gunaydin also leads the team with 26 aces.
#Unshakeable #GoWildcats
