ABILENE — The 'Cats hope to continue their momentum from last week as they head into two tough matches starting Thursday.
First, the Wildcats head down I-20 to Stephenville to take on longtime rival Tarleton State on Thursday at 6 p.m., then ACU will return to Moody Saturday at 1 p.m. and take on the top team in the Western Athletic Conference, UT Arlington, for the annual She Can Be match.
If fans cannot catch the games in person, both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
ACU Storylines:
LAST WEEK IN MOODY: Last week, The Wildcats earned their first two wins in conference play against California Baptist and Seattle U. Both the Thursday night and Saturday matches went to five sets.
WAC STANDINGS: The 'Cats are currently fifth in the WAC out of the nine-team field. UT Arlington is at the top of the league with a 4-0 conference record and 14-2 overall record. UTA is followed by Grand Canyon, Utah Tech, and Southern Utah. Ranked below the 'Cats are Utah Valley, Seattle U, California Baptist and Tarleton State.
ROAD STRUGGLES: The Wildcats are looking for their first road win of the season as they head to Stephenville. The Wildcats are 0-5 in true road matches this season., with their losses including being at Baylor, UTSA, New Mexico State, Utah Tech and Southern Utah.
THE MOODY DIFFERENCE: On the other hand, ACU is 4-0 inside Moody Coliseum in the 2024 season, with a three-set win over Alabama A&M, and five set wins over Oral Roberts, California Baptist and Seattle U.
SWINGING STRONG: Sophomore Alexis Strong had a career day in the team's Saturday match against CBU. String finished the game with a career-high 23 kills, helping her team outlast and survive the Lancers.
OUTSIDE PRESENCE: Senior outside Bryley Steinhilber leads the Wildcats in points, kills and aces. Last week, Steinhilber finished with 31 kills while hitting .263, 25 digs, five assists and one ace.
BLOCK PARTY: ACU's three middle blockers are making an impact on the net. Hannah Gonzalez leads the team with 43 blocks, freshman Avery Thaler has 26 blocks in her first year and redshirt junior Nieko Thomas rounds to the group with 16 blocks.
SETTING UP: Senior Madeline Guffy leads the Wildcats with 362 assists so far this season. Sophomore Rachel Koss has 70 assists so far this season after being sidelined with an injury for eight games.
DIGGING DEEPER: Three Wildcats have over 100 digs so far this season. Sara Carrizales leads all players with 126 digs and 2.92 digs per set. Madeline Guffy has 131 digs and Bryley Steinhilber has 129 digs so far this season.
History with Tarleton State
- ACU leads leads the series, 12-7
- Current Streak: TSU, 2 wins
- Last ACU win: Oct. 22 2022, 3-1
- Last TSU win: Nov. 13 2023, 3-1
Scouting the Texans
- The Texans are 5-12 so far this season and are 0-4 in WAC play.
- Tarleton State is at the bottom of the conference standings, in search of its first conference win.
- Emma Halcomb is at the top of the WAC with 268 digs so far this season.
- Allison Bryant leads the team with 237 kills, while Emma Burn has a team-high .316 hitting percentage and 61 blocks.
History with UT Arlington
- The Mavericks lead the series, 6-4
- Current Streak: ACU, 1 win
- Last ACU win: Oct. 12 2023, 3-2
- Last UTA win: Oct. 20 2022, 3-2
Scouting the Mavericks
- UT Arlington is 14-2 so far this season and is 4-0 in conference play.
- The Mavericks sit alone at the top of the WAC with their current undefeated status.
- Brianna Ford leads the WAC with 250 kills and 290 points so far this season. Paige Reagor has a conference-best .435 hitting percentage and team-best 73 blocks.
- Mollie Blank leads the conference with 592 assists this season, while Samantha Glenn leads the team with 211 digs.
#BeUnshakable #GoWildcats
