ABILENE - After opening Western Athletic Conference play versus California Baptist and Utah Valley, Abilene Christian volleyball will wrap up the regular season at home against the two teams with a pair of matches at Moody Coliseum this week.
The Wildcats host the Lancers at 6 p.m. Thursday for First Responders/Military Appreciation Night before meeting the Wolverines at 1 p.m. Saturday for their She Can Be game, presented by Dr. Leslie Hutchins, and Senior Day.
Thursday's match will feature an "Everyone Watches Wildcat Volleyball" t-shirt giveaway, sponsored by F3 Printing and Apparel.
The Wildcats will be battling for favorable seeding in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, hosted at Moody Coliseum on Nov. 20-22. ACU is fourth in the conference standings, ahead of UT Arlington, CBU and Southern Utah. The Wildcats are set to play in the tournament's quarterfinal round on Thursday, Nov. 20.
ACU is hitting its stride at the right time, winning three of its last four matches entering the final weekend of the regular season. The Wildcats have achieved double-digit victories in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 2016-18, and a 12th or 13th win would mark their most since collecting 13 in 2018.
ACU picked up three straight victories versus Southern Utah, North Texas and UT Arlington before falling to Tarleton State, 3-0, in Stephenville, Texas in its last match on Nov. 8.
Ashli Edmiston led the Wildcats with seven kills to go with three blocks, and
Hannah Gonzalez tallied five kills and four blocks.
The Wildcats have lost their last two matches to the Lancers but have won the teams' previous two contests at Moody Coliseum. ACU and CBU met on Sept. 27 in Riverside, Calif., where the Lancers pulled out a 3-1 victory. Three Wildcats recorded double-digit kills, with Edmiston hitting at a .407 clip and
Aubrey Beaver notching a double-double behind 13 kills and 10 digs.
CBU ranks sixth in the WAC with a 3-8 mark in conference action and is 7-16 overall.
ACU is aiming for its first-ever win over Utah Valley in the programs' eighth meeting. The Wildcats met the Wolverines in Orem, Utah to begin WAC play on Sept. 25, dropping the match by a 3-0 decision. Beaver logged 12 kills with seven digs, two aces and two blocks, and
Avery Thaler blocked six attacks.
Utah Valley tops the conference standings at 9-2 in WAC competition and is 13-10 overall.
