ST. GEORGE, Utah - Abilene Christian volleyball recorded 10 total blocks as it dropped a 3-1 decision to Utah Tech at Burns Arena on Thursday night. The performance at the net marked the Wildcats' most blocks in a Western Athletic Conference match this season.
ACU remains in the state of Utah as it looks to bounce back versus Southern Utah at the America First Event Center at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats beat the Thunderbirds, 3-2, with a reverse sweep at Moody Coliseum on Oct. 9.
Avery Thaler powered ACU with a career-high three solo blocks, tied for the fourth-most in a match in the Wildcats' Division I era. She added six kills, a service ace and a block assist. Thaler's performance came on the heels of a seven-block effort against Tarleton State on Oct. 18.
Aubrey Beaver and
Ashli Edmiston picked up 10 kills apiece, while
Hannah Gonzalez and
Courtney Church had nine each. Beaver's kills are the most since she notched 13 at California Baptist on Sept. 27, while Church's are her most since an 11-kill effort versus Sam Houston on Sept. 5.
Gonzalez registered two solo blocks for the second match in a row, while Edmiston chipped in a pair of aces.
Brennan Ramirez logged 24 digs, her second-highest mark of the season and her most since she had 29 at East Texas A&M on Sept. 22.
Both squads traded points throughout the opening set, with the Trailblazers mounting a 3-0 rally to reach set point ahead 24-22. The Wildcats battled back to knot the score at 24, then fended off another Utah Tech set point. ACU ended the period on a 5-1 run to clinch a 27-25 victory.
Church and Edmiston recorded four kills apiece in the set, while Gonzalez was a force at the net, adding a couple of solo blocks and two block assists. She secured the final two points with a block assist and a solo block.
The Trailblazers began the second set with a hot start, jumping to an 11-5 advantage before strengthening it to 16-10. The Wildcats responded with a 9-2 rally that pushed them ahead, 19-18. Utah Tech answered with a run of its own, scoring five consecutive points to put it in line for a 25-22 win.
Edmiston picked up four kills as Thaler notched three kills, an ace and a block assist.
The Wildcats and the Trailblazers were even at 7 in the third set before Utah Tech built a pair of runs to move into the driver's seat. A 9-2 run gave it a 16-9 edge as the Trailblazers closed the period on a 7-1 streak to seal a 25-14 victory.
Hadlee Welch and Beaver were responsible for half of ACU's points with seven kills between them.
Neither team was able to garner a significant advantage in the fourth set, as, on two occasions, one team's 3-0 run was immediately answered with a 3-0 rally by the opposition. Four straight points gave Utah Tech a 21-17 lead, but a 5-1 ACU streak knotted the score at 23. The Trailblazers sealed the match with a 25-23 win.
Gonzalez and Church combined for seven kills in the final period.
