ABILENE - Abilene Christian volleyball looks to return to the win column as it caps a four-match homestand against Northwestern State at 6 p.m. Wednesday. It's Hawaiian Night at Moody Coliseum, as Polynesian spirit and culture will be celebrated through a series of activities.
ACU opened the 2025 season with a 1-2 showing at the Wildcat Classic this past weekend at Moody Coliseum, kicking off the campaign with a 3-1 win over Missouri State on Aug. 29. The Wildcats battled in a 3-2 loss to Incarnate Word before being swept at the hands of Oklahoma on Aug. 30.
Saturday's match with the Sooners saw 768 fans cheer on the Wildcats, marking the highest attendance for a match at Moody Coliseum since 2022 and the highest under head coach
Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup. Oklahoma became the first Southeastern Conference program, regardless of sport, to compete in Abilene.
ACU was powered by the defensive efforts of redshirt freshman
Brennan Ramirez, who earned Libero of the Week honors from the Western Athletic Conference on Tuesday. The Texas transfer made her first appearances at the collegiate level, amassing 53 digs, good for 4.42 per set, and 15 assists over 12 periods.
Ramirez tallied 19 digs and five assists versus the Bears before a 21-dig, six-assist effort against the Cardinals. She added 11 digs and four assists in the match with the Sooners.
The Wildcats were fueled offensively by another newcomer in Cal State Fullerton transfer
Aubrey Beaver, who recorded 38 kills and five service aces for 44.0 points. Her 23 digs rank second on the team behind Ramirez. Beaver's 18 kills versus Missouri State are tied for the most kills by a Wildcat in their first match with ACU at the Division I level, matching Jada Birkel in 2021.
Hannah Gonzalez registered 30 kills at a .197 clip on the offensive end to go with 13.0 blocks at the net. She's knotted with Montana State transfer
Erika Gustafson in leading ACU in blocks, as Gustafson carries four solo blocks in just eight sets.
In addition to a team-best 88 assists,
Rachel Koss is even alongside Gonzalez with five aces.
Abby Christian notched four service aces.
Northwestern State joins ACU at 1-2 after competing at Memphis' Rumble at the Roane last weekend. The Lady Demons opened the tournament with a five-set win over Tennessee State before being swept by Memphis and USC Upstate. They went 8-17 last season with a 3-13 mark in the Southland Conference.
The Wildcats hold a 7-4 series lead over their former conference mates, having won seven of the last eight meetings between the two. The programs last met in 2022, when ACU captured a 3-1 win in Columbia, Mo.
Northwestern State is playing its first season under head coach Ben Kaszeta, who previously held assistant coaching roles at Lamar, McNeese and Louisiana.
The Lady Demons feature four players that have recorded 20.0 points or more this season, led by freshman Elsie Sanchez Oliver with 29.0 points and 26 kills. Reagan Hamm paces Northwestern State with 51 assists, while Jade Longlad has six service aces.
Freshman Emmarie McFarland has registered 53 digs, while Deja Benjamin and Samaya Wesson have 10.0 blocks apiece. Benjamin ranked second in the league in blocks per set last season with 1.29 and was 10th in hitting percentage at .300.
Admission and parking are free for all ACU volleyball matches. The contest can be streamed on
ESPN+ with
live stats available here.
