SALT LAKE CITY - Abilene Christian volleyball fell to Utah Valley, 3-0, to open Western Athletic Conference action at Behnken Field House on Thursday night. The Wildcats continue their seven-match road swing against California Baptist in Riverside, Calif. at 3 p.m. Saturday.
ACU outdid Utah Valley in kills, 36-31, and collected 31 assists to the Wolverines' 26.
Aubrey Beaver paced the Wildcats with 12 kills and two service aces to go with seven digs.
Avery Thaler notched a career-high six blocks, and
Ashli Edmiston added eight kills.
The opening set saw both squads trade punches, with ACU grabbing its first lead at 14-13 behind a 5-0 run. Its lead grew to 19-17 with a 4-0 rally before Utah Valley swung the momentum in its favor with a 7-3 run. Facing set point, the Wildcats rattled off three consecutive points to take a 25-24 advantage following a pair of blocks.
The Wolverines controlled the tempo the rest of the way, though, scoring three of the final four points to fend off ACU's set point and secure a 28-26 victory. Beaver and Edmiston combined for nine kills in the set, with Beaver recording a couple service aces. Thaler provided four block assists.Â
The second set also saw several swings of momentum, with the Wildcats grabbing an 8-5 edge before the Wolverines evened things at 10. A pair of 3-0 ACU runs sandwiched a 4-0 rally by Utah Valley, offering the Wildcats a slight 16-15 advantage. The Wolverines heated up late, as a 6-1 run put them in the driver's seat at 22-18.
ACU got within a point at 22-21, but Utah Valley scored three times in a row to seal the 25-21 win. Beaver and Edmiston tallied four kills each in the period.
The Wildcats began the third period on a 4-0 run before the Wolverines engineered a 6-2 rally. Utah Valley didn't trail for the remainder of the set as it tallied eight blocks in the period. After a service error got ACU within three points at 16-13, the Wolverines collected nine of the set's final 10 points, winning 25-14.
