Thursday, October 29
Conway, Ark.
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
16-7,8-3UAC
3
at
2
Central Arkansas
8-14,8-4UAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | 17 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Central Ark. | 25 | 16 | 25 | 20 | 9 | 2 |
10/29/2026 11:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
CONWAY, Ark. — Abilene Christian volleyball rallied from behind to secure a 3-2 victory over Central Arkansas at the Prince Center on Thursday night. The Wildcats picked up their first five-set win of the season after battling back from a 2-1 deficit in a match that featured 33 ties and 14 lead changes.
ACU won its third match in a row and beat Central Arkansas for the first time in its Division I history. It's the fourth win streak of at least three matches for the Wildcats this season. They're tied for second in the United Athletic Conference with an 8-3 record.
ACU remains in the Natural State to take on Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center at 1 p.m. Saturday. The match will stream on ESPN+. The Wildcats are in the midst of their best start since 2010 behind their most victories since 2011. It's their most successful start to conference play since 2018.
Alyssa Todd, the back-to-back UAC Freshman of the Week, paced ACU with 12 kills, while Hadlee Welch and Avery Thaler combined for 17 kills and had three blocks apiece. Thaler swung at a .294 hitting percentage. Hannah Gonzalez added a team-high five blocks with three kills and an ace.
The Wildcats tallied nine aces, tied for their second-most of the season. Rachel Koss was responsible for four of them, matching her season best, to go with 26 assists. Freshman Jayla Jackson saw her most action of the year and marked career highs with two aces and four digs. Brennan Ramirez provided 21 digs with an ace.
Central Arkansas was limited to an .056 attack percentage. ACU has limited two of its last three opponents to below .060 efficiency after North Alabama swung at an .034 clip last week.
Both teams traded points in the early going of the first set to reach a 15-15 tie. The Sugar Bears came out of the media timeout on fire and didn't slow down for the rest of the frame, outscoring the Wildcats 11-2 en route to a 25-17 win. Todd registered four kills at an .800 clip, while Thaler followed with three kills of her own.
The two squads were even again to open the second frame, but ACU found its momentum to break an 8-8 draw. An 8-1 run pushed the Wildcats in front, 16-9. Central Arkansas got within 21-16, but ACU rattled off the final four points for a 25-16 victory. Welch and Aubrey Beaver collected three kills each and combined for three blocks.
The third set was one of streaks, with the Sugar Bears scoring nine points in a row to turn an 8-7 deficit into a 16-8 lead. The Wildcats stopped the bleeding with four straight points before equalizing the score at 20 with a 5-0 rally. Central Arkansas scored three consecutive points to reach 24-21, and ACU fended off set point twice before the home team secured a 25-23 win. Todd and Thaler each notched three kills, while Koss had a pair of aces. Ramirez captained the defense with eight digs.
The Wildcats battled to earn their first victory of the season after trailing through three sets. They were previously 0-6. The fourth set witnessed nine ties and six lead changes with ACU falling behind 10-8. It answered with a 9-2 rally to grab a 17-12 advantage. Central Arkansas found a run of its own, scoring seven of the next eight points to reclaim the lead. The Wildcats captured the momentum again, closing the period on a 7-1 streak for a 25-20 victory.
Welch recorded three kills as Gonzalez and Maddie Finnegan had two blocks apiece.
Both teams opened the decisive fifth set with a 5-5 stalemate. An 8-2 streak moved ACU into the driver's seat and on the way to a 15-9 match-clinching victory. Annaleise Sevier and Todd each had two kills, with Sevier also having a hand in a block.
ACU won its third match in a row and beat Central Arkansas for the first time in its Division I history. It's the fourth win streak of at least three matches for the Wildcats this season. They're tied for second in the United Athletic Conference with an 8-3 record.
ACU remains in the Natural State to take on Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center at 1 p.m. Saturday. The match will stream on ESPN+. The Wildcats are in the midst of their best start since 2010 behind their most victories since 2011. It's their most successful start to conference play since 2018.
Alyssa Todd, the back-to-back UAC Freshman of the Week, paced ACU with 12 kills, while Hadlee Welch and Avery Thaler combined for 17 kills and had three blocks apiece. Thaler swung at a .294 hitting percentage. Hannah Gonzalez added a team-high five blocks with three kills and an ace.
The Wildcats tallied nine aces, tied for their second-most of the season. Rachel Koss was responsible for four of them, matching her season best, to go with 26 assists. Freshman Jayla Jackson saw her most action of the year and marked career highs with two aces and four digs. Brennan Ramirez provided 21 digs with an ace.
Central Arkansas was limited to an .056 attack percentage. ACU has limited two of its last three opponents to below .060 efficiency after North Alabama swung at an .034 clip last week.
Both teams traded points in the early going of the first set to reach a 15-15 tie. The Sugar Bears came out of the media timeout on fire and didn't slow down for the rest of the frame, outscoring the Wildcats 11-2 en route to a 25-17 win. Todd registered four kills at an .800 clip, while Thaler followed with three kills of her own.
The two squads were even again to open the second frame, but ACU found its momentum to break an 8-8 draw. An 8-1 run pushed the Wildcats in front, 16-9. Central Arkansas got within 21-16, but ACU rattled off the final four points for a 25-16 victory. Welch and Aubrey Beaver collected three kills each and combined for three blocks.
The third set was one of streaks, with the Sugar Bears scoring nine points in a row to turn an 8-7 deficit into a 16-8 lead. The Wildcats stopped the bleeding with four straight points before equalizing the score at 20 with a 5-0 rally. Central Arkansas scored three consecutive points to reach 24-21, and ACU fended off set point twice before the home team secured a 25-23 win. Todd and Thaler each notched three kills, while Koss had a pair of aces. Ramirez captained the defense with eight digs.
The Wildcats battled to earn their first victory of the season after trailing through three sets. They were previously 0-6. The fourth set witnessed nine ties and six lead changes with ACU falling behind 10-8. It answered with a 9-2 rally to grab a 17-12 advantage. Central Arkansas found a run of its own, scoring seven of the next eight points to reclaim the lead. The Wildcats captured the momentum again, closing the period on a 7-1 streak for a 25-20 victory.
Welch recorded three kills as Gonzalez and Maddie Finnegan had two blocks apiece.
Both teams opened the decisive fifth set with a 5-5 stalemate. An 8-2 streak moved ACU into the driver's seat and on the way to a 15-9 match-clinching victory. Annaleise Sevier and Todd each had two kills, with Sevier also having a hand in a block.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
ACU
UCA
Kills
45
50
Errors
24
41
Attempts
147
161
Hitting %
.143
.056
Points
62.0
63.0
Assists
40
43
Aces
9
6
Blocks
8
7
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Monday, October 26
Monday, October 26
Monday, October 26
Monday, October 26
