Box Score SAN ANTONIO — Even though ACU won the first set, the Wildcats were ultimately taken down by the Incarnate Word Cardinals, 3-1
ACU took the first set in the match 25-19, but then the Cardinals went on to take three straight sets 25-19, 25-21 and 25-15.
Leading the offense for ACU in the match was senior outside hitter Bryley Steinhilber, who finished the Friday afternoon matchup with 20 kills. Sophomore Alexis Strong added 17 kills while hitting .246 percent. As for blocking, middles Nieko Thomas and Hannah Gonzalez finished with two each. Guffy led the team with 13 digs in the match while libero Sara Carrizales had 12 digs.
"As a team, we could have definitely performed at a higher level vs Incarnate Word," head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup said. "There were still some bright spots, Alexis Strong and Bryley Steinhilber had very strong offensive showings. Alexis earned MVP as voted by the team."
Despite the loss, history was made for the Wildcats. Madeline Guffy also finished the match with 36 assists on Friday afternoon, reaching the 1,500 career assist mark. She is the third Wildcat in ACU's Division I era to reach that milestone, and now also sits at third all-time in career assists at ACU.
"We are excited for Madeline the huge milestone she reached this afternoon," Moronu Alstrup said. "She stepped in as the only setter for the rest of the match after Rachel Koss was injured and did a great job. Guffy delivered a consistent ball to the outside which allowed Bryley and Alexis to be as successful as they were."
The first set was where the Wildcats shined. The 'Cats went on a 5-0 run midway through the first set and UIW could not catch up. ACU hit .400 percent while holding the Cardinals a .161 hitting percentage. The team also had 15 total kills in the first set.
As for the rest of the match, hitting errors plagued the Wildcats. The Wildcats finished the match hitting .246 percent with 54 kills while racking up 22 hitting errors. Comparatively, the Cardinals finished the match hitting .349 percent with 57 kills and only 13 errors.
Up next, the Wildcats have a quick turnaround and play tournament host UTSA at 7 p.m. CT.
"The beauty of playing two matches in one day is that we can reset and do it better the second go around which is exactly what we plan to do," Moronu Alstrup said.
You can watch tonight's match live on ESPN+ or follow the team on social media on Instagram, X, Facebook and acusports.com.
