ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats faced a five-set heartbreaker on Thursday evening, ultimately falling to the Utah Valley Wolverines, 3-2.
The Wildcats and the Wolverines exchanged sets back and forth for the first three sets. First ACU took a 25-21 set one win, followed by a 27-25 Utah Valley set two win, then ACU struck back with a 26-24 win. But, Utah Valley took the last two sets, winning 25-20 and 15-12.
In the first set, the Wildcats hit an efficient .424 percent, while holding Utah Valley to hitting .238 percent. That, alongside ACU going on a 5-0 run to end the set to take an early 1-0 match lead.
The Wildcats held a .237 hitting advantage over the Wolverines' .233 hitting percentage in the second set, but unforced errors caused ACU to be down 13-19. A 6-0 run caused ACU to get back in the set. With the game tied at 24-24, ACU gained a 25-24 lead, but UVU responded with a 3-0 swing to take the second set.
The Wildcats gained momentum back in the third set while hitting .306 percent. In the set, ACU went on three separate 5-1 bursts, with the last one coming after the 'Cats were down 23-21 to help them clinch the third set.
The fourth set started with a 7-0 for the Wolverines allowing them to take control and dictate the pace of the set. ACU slowly started making its way back into the game, eventually making it a 19-23 game, but the hole was too big for ACU to claw out of.
In the fifth set, both teams were neck and neck. ACU got out to an early 7-5 lead while hitting a match-best .438 in the set. But, the Wolverines quickly turned the tides and finished the march on a 5-1 run to clinch the match win.
ACU ultimately finished the match hitting .289 while UVU finished hitting .234, but after that, all the advantages leaned toward Utah Valley. UVU finished with 10 more kills (72-62), 11 more assists (71-60), seven more aces (14-7), two more digs (60-58) and two more blocks (10-8) than ACU.
Despite the loss, senior setter Madeline Guffy reached a huge milestone, eclipsing the 2,000 career assists mark during her time at ACU. Heading into the night, Guffy needed 39 assists to reach the mark, and she finished with 47 assists.
Alexis Strong led the way hitting for ACU with 15 kills, with Hannah Gonzalez following with 13 and Bryley Steinhilber adding 12. Steinhilber, Sara Carrizales and Deanna Harper each had two aces as well.
Nieko Thomas, alongside Gonzalez, had a team-best four blocks on the evening. Thomas also had a team and career-best .600 hitting percentage with nine kills on 15 attempts and no errors.
Libero Abby Christian and Carrizales each had 12 digs to lead the team with Guffy adding 11 of her own, finishing with a double-double.
Up next, the Wildcats will host their final game in Moody Coliseum on Saturday, November 9 against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. It will be Senior Day inside Moody Coliseum, with the team celebrating seniors Bryley Steinhilber and Madeline Guffy. The game is set to start at 11 a.m. and will also air live on ESPN+.
If you can't catch the match in person or on ESPN+, you can also receive updates by following the team on social media on Instagram, X, Facebook and acusports.com.
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