RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Abilene Christian volleyball saw three players record double-digit kills in a 3-1 loss to California Baptist at Van Dyne Gym on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats return to Texas to close out their seven-match road trip at UT Arlington on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.
ACU outpaced CBU in kills, 58-42, with a .216 hitting percentage. It collected 48 assists and digs apiece.
Ashli Edmiston powered the Wildcats with 14 kills at a .407 clip, her third match in her last five outings with 10 kills or more. The senior moved into seventh place in ACU Division I history with 2,042 career attack attempts, surpassing Marybeth Sandercox.
Aubrey Beaver and
Hannah Gonzalez tallied 13 kills apiece, with the duo combining for 19 double-digit kill performances this season. Beaver added 10 digs and a block assist, while Gonzalez recorded a service ace, a solo block and a block assist.
Freshman
Hadlee Welch registered a career-high eight kills, while
Avery Thaler matched her career best with two solo blocks. Reigning Jersey Mike's A Sub Above Western Athletic Conference Setter of the Week
Rachel Koss knocked in four service aces to go with 27 assists, and
Becca Siedenburg's 17 assists are a season high.
The Lancers wasted little time setting the tone on their home court, riding a 5-0 run to a 12-6 edge. The Wildcats got within four points before CBU's lead swelled to as much as 10 points with set point at 24-14. ACU was resilient in scoring three times in a row, but a Lancer kill secured a 25-17 win.
Beaver notched four kills in the period with a block assist as Edmiston and Gonzalez added three kills each.
After CBU recorded the first four points of the second set, ACU used an 8-2 rally to move ahead. Both teams went back and forth, unable to establish significant momentum. After the Lancers moved ahead, 18-16, the Wildcats engineered a 9-2 run to take a 25-20 victory and even the match. A block by Welch and Gonzalez iced the win.
Beaver churned out five kills as Welch and
Annaleise Sevier registered three kills apiece.
ACU carried its momentum into the third period, trading points with CBU before moving ahead at the midway point, 15-11, and leading by as much as five at 19-14. The Lancers found their footing as the set wound down, though, closing the set on an 11-3 rally to storm back and clinch a 25-22 win.
Edmiston and Gonzalez each recorded five kills in the set, with Gonzalez adding a solo block.
In another back-and-forth affair early in the fifth set, CBU grabbed a 6-5 lead and didn't trail for the rest of the match. The Lancers led 15-11 at the midway point and used a 5-2 finish to clinch a 25-18 victory and win the match. Edmiston and Gonzalez totaled seven kills, while Thaler was strong at the net with two solo blocks.
