Thursday, September 3
Houston, Texas
6:30 p.m.
Abilene Christian
at
Houston
Photo by: Kate Evans
Wildcats Head to Space City for Three Matches at Houston Invitational
9/2/2026 7:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON — Abilene Christian volleyball hits the road for a trio of matches in H-Town at the Houston Invitational this week. ACU battles the Houston Cougars at the Fertitta Center at 6:30 p.m. Thursday ahead of a pair of Friday meetings with Houston Christian and Texas Southern at the Tigers' H&PE Arena. The Wildcats play the Huskies at 12 p.m. before matching up with the Tigers at 5:30 p.m.
The Wildcats' match with the Cougars will be streamed on ESPN+ with Will Conerly (play-by-play), Natalie Keck (analyst) and Nicole Beckelman (sidelines) calling the action.
ACU aims for its third victory over a power conference program since toppling Texas Tech in 2013 and 2023, both at Moody Coliseum. ACU and Houston have met just once as Division I programs, a 3-1 Cougar victory in 2015. A win on Thursday would mark the Wildcats' third win in their past four road matches.
The Wildcats take on the Huskies in a neutral-site contest Friday afternoon, with ACU winning its past four matches on neutral floors. Its last meeting with Houston Christian came Aug. 26, 2023 with a 3-1 victory in head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup's debut with the Wildcats.
ACU looks to improve to an undefeated 4-0 over Texas Southern as the teams meet for the third season in a row. Each Wildcat win over the Tigers has come via a sweep.
The Wildcats took down Lamar at last week's ACU Invitational as setter Rachel Koss and libero Brennan Ramirez landed on the All-Tournament team. Koss totaled 99 assists to rank second in the United Athletic Conference, while Ramirez's 56 digs were also good for second in the UAC. Ramirez added four service aces.
Hannah Gonzalez's 13 blocks are tops in the conference. Freshman Alyssa Todd shined in her collegiate debut with a 12-kill performance against the Cardinals and followed with 10 kills versus Cal State Bakersfield. Aubrey Beaver led the team with 32 kills while Hadlee Welch tallied 16 kills and nine blocks.
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. Hannah Gonzalez led the way with All-WAC First Team distinction, becoming the first Wildcat to be named to the First Team since 2020-21. Rachel Koss collected All-WAC Second Team recognition, and Brennan Ramirez and Hadlee Welch represented ACU on the All-WAC Freshman Team. It was the first time two Wildcats had been named amongst the top freshmen in the WAC.
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. Last season, Gonzalez was the lone Wildcat to appear in all 117 sets while starting all 30 matches. She led the team in kills (295), hitting percentage (.283), blocks (93.0) and points (369.0).
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. The Wildcats also partnered with local churches to offer volleyball clinics while volunteering with Hillsong Church.
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 Wildcats' match with the Cougars will be streamed on ESPN+ with Will Conerly (play-by-play), Natalie Keck (analyst) and Nicole Beckelman (sidelines) calling the action.
ACU aims for its third victory over a power conference program since toppling Texas Tech in 2013 and 2023, both at Moody Coliseum. ACU and Houston have met just once as Division I programs, a 3-1 Cougar victory in 2015. A win on Thursday would mark the Wildcats' third win in their past four road matches.
The Wildcats take on the Huskies in a neutral-site contest Friday afternoon, with ACU winning its past four matches on neutral floors. Its last meeting with Houston Christian came Aug. 26, 2023 with a 3-1 victory in head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup's debut with the Wildcats.
ACU looks to improve to an undefeated 4-0 over Texas Southern as the teams meet for the third season in a row. Each Wildcat win over the Tigers has come via a sweep.
The Wildcats took down Lamar at last week's ACU Invitational as setter Rachel Koss and libero Brennan Ramirez landed on the All-Tournament team. Koss totaled 99 assists to rank second in the United Athletic Conference, while Ramirez's 56 digs were also good for second in the UAC. Ramirez added four service aces.
Hannah Gonzalez's 13 blocks are tops in the conference. Freshman Alyssa Todd shined in her collegiate debut with a 12-kill performance against the Cardinals and followed with 10 kills versus Cal State Bakersfield. Aubrey Beaver led the team with 32 kills while Hadlee Welch tallied 16 kills and nine blocks.
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. Hannah Gonzalez led the way with All-WAC First Team distinction, becoming the first Wildcat to be named to the First Team since 2020-21. Rachel Koss collected All-WAC Second Team recognition, and Brennan Ramirez and Hadlee Welch represented ACU on the All-WAC Freshman Team. It was the first time two Wildcats had been named amongst the top freshmen in the WAC.
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. Last season, Gonzalez was the lone Wildcat to appear in all 117 sets while starting all 30 matches. She led the team in kills (295), hitting percentage (.283), blocks (93.0) and points (369.0).
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. The Wildcats also partnered with local churches to offer volleyball clinics while volunteering with Hillsong Church.
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
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
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