ABILENE - Abilene Christian volleyball returns to Moody Coliseum for the first time in nearly a month when it takes on Southern Utah (2-12, 1-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday and Utah Tech (12-3, 3-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats are on the heels of a seven-match road streak, having last played in Abilene on Sept. 15 versus Tulsa.
The Wildcats will be hosting Volley for a Cause against the Thunderbirds, a night that allows both ACU volleyball and the Abilene community to show their support for a specific initiative or charity meaningful to them. Each player and coach's chosen cause is listed below:
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ACU recognizes Worldwide Wildcats in its match versus Utah Tech. The program will celebrate diversity across the ACU campus and the many contributions of those of different cultures and backgrounds.
Last week, ACU earned its first Western Athletic Conference and true road victory of the season with a 3-1 win over reigning conference champion UT Arlington.
Ashli Edmiston was named the Jersey Mike's A Sub Above WAC Player of the Week for her efforts, while
Rachel Koss earned Setter of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Edmiston powered ACU with a career-high 23.5 points, logging 19 kills at a .359 clip, three service aces and three blocks. It marked her most kills since 2023 and one short of matching her career best. Edmiston's aces and blocks each tied her career highs, while her points were the sixth-most in a four-set match in the Wildcats' Division I era.
Koss totaled 34 assists in ACU's 55-kill outing at UT Arlington, with the team hitting at a .271 percentage. She added four digs and a kill of her own. Koss ranks fifth in the Wildcats' DI record book with 951 career assists at a mark of 6.18 assists per set.
A win over the Thunderbirds would give the Wildcats consecutive wins for the third time this season while marking their first WAC victory at home. The teams' all-time series, dating back to 2022, is tied at two wins apiece. ACU and Southern Utah each picked up a win against each other last season.
Utah Tech holds a 4-1 series lead over ACU in the Wildcats' Division I era after winning both matchups last season. ACU picked up a 3-2 win over the Trailblazers in Abilene in 2023.
The Wildcats rank second in the conference in kills (13.12), assists (12.03) and service aces (1.88) per set while leading the WAC in total kills. Their 879 kills are 14th-most in the country, while their 126 total aces rank 12th nationally. ACU's .195 hitting percentage is the third-most efficient in the conference.
As the Wildcats' offensive leaders,
Aubrey Beaver and
Hannah Gonzalez each rank within the WAC's top 10 in kills and points per set. Beaver is sixth with 3.14 kills and seventh with 3.65 points per set, while Gonzalez is eighth with 2.78 kills and 3.46 points per set. Beaver's 0.35 aces per set rank seventh, while Gonzalez's .264 hitting percentage is eighth.
Koss continues to pace the conference with 8.87 assists per set and is tied for fourth in conference play with 0.45 aces per set.
Brennan Ramirez ranks third with 4.10 digs per set, and
Abby Christian is sixth with 0.37 aces per set.
Edmiston has surged in WAC action, ranking second with 3.73 kills and 4.18 points per set and coming in fifth with a .322 hitting percentage.
Annaleise Sevier ranks ninth in the conference in WAC play with a .286 hitting percentage.
Becca Siedenburg is tied for eighth with 0.33 aces per set.
Southern Utah has experienced a slow start to the season, dropping five of its last six matches at the bottom of the conference standings. In their last time out, the Thunderbirds bested California Baptist, 3-2, for their first WAC victory.
The Thunderbirds' Asya Akbulut and Swayzee Mason rank seventh (4.74) and 10th (3.70), respectively, in the WAC in assists per set. Kaitlyn Aleshire ranks ninth in blocks per set (0.98) and Aleeya Jones is eighth in digs per set (2.31).
ACU transitions from the WAC cellar-dweller to the conference leader in Utah Tech, who has won its first three WAC matches. The Trailblazers have been strong on offense and defense, leading the league in hitting percentage (.235) and opposing hitting percentage (.155). Utah Tech also tops the WAC in kills (13.52) and assists (12.31) per set. The Trailblazers are second in blocks (2.76) and digs (14.13) per set.
Kennedi Knudsen, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, has been a force for the Trailblazers, earning WAC Player of the Week honors through the first four weeks of the season. She leads the league with 4.83 kills and 5.26 points per set. Knudsen's .252 hitting percentage ranks ninth and her 2.35 digs per set are seventh.
Elsewhere on the roster, Casidy Fried is the conference leader in hitting percentage at .367, while Taylor Snow is in fourth at .321. Snow is second with 1.38 blocks per set, and Fried ranks fifth with 1.20. Mya Laufiso ranks fourth with 3.80 digs per set.
