Wildcats dash Crusaders in straight sets to conclude UTSA Invitational

ACU finished its appearance at the UTSA Invitational strong on Saturday, sweeping Holy Cross in straight sets.

The Wildcats took control of the match starting from the first set and dominated the Crusader in the three sets, 25-14, 25-17 and 25-16. 

"I'm proud of the team effort we displayed against Holy Cross," head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup. "Our goal going into this match was to take one step forward in the right direction and I can say with confidence that we were able to do that."

In the first set, ACU and Holy Cross exchanged points back and forth until ACU went on a 9-1 run to close out the match. ACU finished the set with 18 kills while hitting .484 percent. The 'Cats held the Crusaders to 10 kills and a .241 hitting percentage. 

The Wildcats saw more of the same in the second set with the team going a 12-3 run halfway through to take over the set. The Wildcats had 12 kills and held the Crusaders to a .032 hitting percentage. 

To wrap up the match, ACU had 13 kills while hitting .306 while Holy Cross hit .031 in the third set. The Wildcats also went on a 7-1 run fueled by three aces by Bryley Steinhilber to take control and ultimately win the match. 

Looking at the match as a whole, ACU finished the match hitting .298 percent while holding the Crusaders to hitting .098 for the entire match. ACU also totaled 43 kills, 42 digs, 37 assists, 10 aces and four blocks. 

As for individual performances, everyone on the roster saw in-game action and contributed to ACU's success. Sophomore Alexis Strong finished the match leading the team with nine kills. Strong was also rewarded for her effort all weekend by being named to the UTSA Invitational All-Tournament team. She finished the weekend in the Alamo City with 31 kills while hitting .290 and adding three blocks, one every match. 

Bryley Steinhilber led the team with her three aces, while also adding eight kills and seven digs. Sara Carrizales led the Wildcat defense with 13 digs while Hannah Gonzalez added three blocks and seven kills. Setters Madeline Guffy and Sydney Payne each had 14 assists while running the offense for ACU. Guffy also went on to add three additional aces for the Wildcats. 

"Our service pressure helped us play solid defense, Sara Carrizales led the team back row," Moronu Alstrup said. "She had some great touches on defense and provided consistency with her serve receive. Hannah Gonzalez hit a nearly perfect game and was awarded match MVP by the team. Alexis Strong also had a very strong offensive showing and did a great job not only today but throughout the weekend receiving All-Tournament honors." 

Up next, the  Wildcats head to Las Cruces, New Mexico for the Borderland Invitational. The tournament begins on September 13 as ACU takes on Arizona and tournament host New Mexico State, then will play Texas Southern on Sept. 14. 

"We are looking forward to one more preseason tournament on the road in New Mexico next weekend," Moronu Alstrup said. Then we will finally be competing in front of our home crowd at Moody, September at 7 p.m., and we are hoping that Wildcat Nation will be there to support us."

You can follow the Wildcats' upcoming matches in Las Cruces on Instagram, X, Facebook and acusports.com.

 

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