Thursday, September 17
Abilene, Texas
6 p.m.
Abilene Christian
vs
Louisiana Tech
Photo by: Luke White
ACU Hosts Wildcat Classic, Alumni Weekend to Wrap Up Nonconference Play
9/16/2026 6:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ABILENE — Abilene Christian volleyball closes out its nonconference slate by hosting the Wildcat Classic at Moody Coliseum this week. The Wildcats open the event versus Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. Thursday before meeting Prairie View A&M at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The weekend wraps up against Stephen F. Austin at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Wildcat Classic also marks ACU volleyball's Alumni Weekend, with Alumni Night celebrated during Friday's matchup with the Lady Panthers. The Wildcats will host PJs and Pancakes when they take on the Ladyjacks Saturday. Pancakes will be served with an ACU pillowcase giveaway for the first 100 fans.
Admission is free for fans while each ACU match will be streamed on ESPN+. Wildcat volleyball alum Londyn Gray will provide analysis for each match while Caysson Higgins, Josiah Wonnell and Roman Raffaeli call the action. Alexis Stanley and Jocelyn Johnston will report from the sidelines on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The Wildcats found their groove with a pair of victories over Oral Roberts last week, with ACU winning four of its last five games. At 5-4, it has matched its best start in the Division I era, while a win on Thursday would give the Wildcats their best 10-match start as a DI program. ACU aims to maintain undefeated records against Louisiana Tech and Prairie View A&M while earning its first win over Stephen F. Austin since 2017.
Thursday, Sept. 17
LOOK BACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU finished off a six-match road trip with a trio of contests in Oklahoma last week. The Wildcats picked up a pair of wins over Oral Roberts by 3-1 and 3-0 decisions, then fell to the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. Hannah Gonzalez was named the UAC Player of the Week, and Brennan Ramirez earned UAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Gonzalez led the conference in kills, blocks and points per set at a .425 attack percentage. Ramirez fueled the defense with 50 digs, good for 5.00 per set. ACU wraps up nonconference play with this weekend's Wildcat Classic.
ON THE HEELS OF HISTORY – The Wildcats look to build a historic 2025 campaign as they collected 13 victories, their most since 2018. ACU hosted the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Moody Coliseum, where it secured the fourth seed to match its highest conference tournament seeding in the Division I era. With a five-set win over reigning WAC champion UT Arlington, the Wildcats captured their first WAC Tournament victory and first win in a conference tournament since 2017. ACU returns 84.9% of its point production from 2025. Four Wildcats garnered All-Conference honors, the most in the program's DI history.
NEW CONFERENCE ON THE BLOCK – ACU makes its debut in the United Athletic Conference in 2026, welcoming six new conference opponents along with Tarleton State and UT Arlington in the rebranding of the WAC. Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia join from the Atlantic Sun, while Little Rock makes the move from the Ohio Valley. This season's UAC Tournament is set for the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. on Nov. 19-21.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION – Gonzalez was named to the Preseason All-United Athletic Conference Team as the Wildcats' first preseason all-conference selection since 2019. ACU landed in fifth in the UAC's Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats received 52 votes from the conference's head coaches, with Eastern Kentucky topping the poll with seven of eight first place votes.
STAYING THE COURSE – A rarity in today's world of college athletics, ACU's roster touts seven seniors, including five that have spent their entire four-year careers in Abilene. Gonzalez, Koss, Abby Christian, Izabelle Larson and Alexis Strong each arrived at ACU in 2023 alongside head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup. The group of five has combined to play in 386 matches and 1,246 sets entering the 2026 campaign. Also beginning her fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats, Moronu Alstrup described this year as a "senior season" of her own.  Additionally, Avery Thaler, Annaleise Sevier and Courtney Church are each in their third seasons at ACU.
FAMILY AFFAIR – Head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup and assistant coach Chris Alstrup are one of six known Division I coaching duos that are married. The two met while Moronu Alstrup was playing professional volleyball in Alstrup's home country of Denmark. They have a daughter, Charlie, and a son, Jude. Other married coaching duos include UAC foe Little Rock, Eastern Michigan, Montana State, Southern Utah and West Virginia. Other family ties on the Wildcats' roster include freshman OH/RS Garrah Prox and her sister, student manager Zoey Prox.
WILDCATS AROUND THE GLOBE – Much of ACU's team chemistry and camaraderie was built this summer on the program's international tour to Europe. From June 4-14, the Wildcats globetrotted across Sweden, Denmark and Germany, immersing themselves in local cultures while competing against overseas programs and taking part in volunteer work. ACU competed against Holte, one of the top programs in Denmark, the Danish National Team and the U17 German Regional National Team.Â
NATIONWIDE WILDCATS – Eight states are represented on ACU's 18-person roster (Texas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, Missouri, Louisiana, Washington and Kentucky). Ten Wildcats hail from the Lone Star State. Beyond the United States, assistant coach Chris Alstrup is Danish.
The Wildcat Classic also marks ACU volleyball's Alumni Weekend, with Alumni Night celebrated during Friday's matchup with the Lady Panthers. The Wildcats will host PJs and Pancakes when they take on the Ladyjacks Saturday. Pancakes will be served with an ACU pillowcase giveaway for the first 100 fans.
Admission is free for fans while each ACU match will be streamed on ESPN+. Wildcat volleyball alum Londyn Gray will provide analysis for each match while Caysson Higgins, Josiah Wonnell and Roman Raffaeli call the action. Alexis Stanley and Jocelyn Johnston will report from the sidelines on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The Wildcats found their groove with a pair of victories over Oral Roberts last week, with ACU winning four of its last five games. At 5-4, it has matched its best start in the Division I era, while a win on Thursday would give the Wildcats their best 10-match start as a DI program. ACU aims to maintain undefeated records against Louisiana Tech and Prairie View A&M while earning its first win over Stephen F. Austin since 2017.
Thursday, Sept. 17
- 6 p.m. - Louisiana Tech vs. ACU
- 1:30 p.m. - Prairie View A&M vs. Stephen F. Austin
- 5:30 p.m. - Stephen F. Austin vs. Louisiana Tech
- 7:30 p.m. - Prairie View A&M vs. ACU
- 10 a.m. - Prairie View A&M vs. Louisiana Tech
- 1 p.m. - Stephen F. Austin vs. ACU
LOOK BACK ON LAST WEEK – ACU finished off a six-match road trip with a trio of contests in Oklahoma last week. The Wildcats picked up a pair of wins over Oral Roberts by 3-1 and 3-0 decisions, then fell to the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. Hannah Gonzalez was named the UAC Player of the Week, and Brennan Ramirez earned UAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Gonzalez led the conference in kills, blocks and points per set at a .425 attack percentage. Ramirez fueled the defense with 50 digs, good for 5.00 per set. ACU wraps up nonconference play with this weekend's Wildcat Classic.
ON THE HEELS OF HISTORY – The Wildcats look to build a historic 2025 campaign as they collected 13 victories, their most since 2018. ACU hosted the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Moody Coliseum, where it secured the fourth seed to match its highest conference tournament seeding in the Division I era. With a five-set win over reigning WAC champion UT Arlington, the Wildcats captured their first WAC Tournament victory and first win in a conference tournament since 2017. ACU returns 84.9% of its point production from 2025. Four Wildcats garnered All-Conference honors, the most in the program's DI history.
NEW CONFERENCE ON THE BLOCK – ACU makes its debut in the United Athletic Conference in 2026, welcoming six new conference opponents along with Tarleton State and UT Arlington in the rebranding of the WAC. Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia join from the Atlantic Sun, while Little Rock makes the move from the Ohio Valley. This season's UAC Tournament is set for the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. on Nov. 19-21.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION – Gonzalez was named to the Preseason All-United Athletic Conference Team as the Wildcats' first preseason all-conference selection since 2019. ACU landed in fifth in the UAC's Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats received 52 votes from the conference's head coaches, with Eastern Kentucky topping the poll with seven of eight first place votes.
STAYING THE COURSE – A rarity in today's world of college athletics, ACU's roster touts seven seniors, including five that have spent their entire four-year careers in Abilene. Gonzalez, Koss, Abby Christian, Izabelle Larson and Alexis Strong each arrived at ACU in 2023 alongside head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup. The group of five has combined to play in 386 matches and 1,246 sets entering the 2026 campaign. Also beginning her fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats, Moronu Alstrup described this year as a "senior season" of her own.  Additionally, Avery Thaler, Annaleise Sevier and Courtney Church are each in their third seasons at ACU.
FAMILY AFFAIR – Head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup and assistant coach Chris Alstrup are one of six known Division I coaching duos that are married. The two met while Moronu Alstrup was playing professional volleyball in Alstrup's home country of Denmark. They have a daughter, Charlie, and a son, Jude. Other married coaching duos include UAC foe Little Rock, Eastern Michigan, Montana State, Southern Utah and West Virginia. Other family ties on the Wildcats' roster include freshman OH/RS Garrah Prox and her sister, student manager Zoey Prox.
WILDCATS AROUND THE GLOBE – Much of ACU's team chemistry and camaraderie was built this summer on the program's international tour to Europe. From June 4-14, the Wildcats globetrotted across Sweden, Denmark and Germany, immersing themselves in local cultures while competing against overseas programs and taking part in volunteer work. ACU competed against Holte, one of the top programs in Denmark, the Danish National Team and the U17 German Regional National Team.Â
NATIONWIDE WILDCATS – Eight states are represented on ACU's 18-person roster (Texas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, Missouri, Louisiana, Washington and Kentucky). Ten Wildcats hail from the Lone Star State. Beyond the United States, assistant coach Chris Alstrup is Danish.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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