With fifth place in the Southland Conference on the line, the Wildcats took care of visiting Southeastern Louisiana to the tune of a 3-0 shutout, as they move to 6-1 in Moody Coliseum.
However, the Wildcats are still searching for their first road win of the season.
“I think we show up to the gym too early,” head coach Jason Bibler said. “So when we travel after next week we’re gonna try and show up not as early to the gym and hopefully that’ll help.”
The completion of Saturday’s shutout required a late surge from the Wildcats and somewhat of a breakdown from the Lady Lions. After ACU scored the first three points of set three, Southeastern Louisiana responded with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the match at 4-4.
ACU would regain a three point lead at 9-6 with kills from freshmen Kendall Bosse and Lauren Walker, but again Southeastern Louisiana bounced back converting on two kills and a service error from junior Dorothy Swanson.
Cue the grudge match. Over the span of the next 22 points the teams would split them evenly to tie the game at 20-20. With a kill from senior Jennie Loerch, ACU regained the lead and scored two out of the next three points forcing a Southeastern Louisiana timeout at 23-21.
After another attack error by the Lady Lions, ACU moved just one point away from clinching the match, but again Southeastern Louisiana roared back, forcing a timeout from coach Bibler with the Wildcats leading 24-23.
Freshman Jacey Smith finished the match with eight kills, but was ready to convert her ninth coming out of the timeout.
“He said that I was gonna get set the ball so I was just ready to kill it, but she missed her serve so I got a little let out there,” Smith said.
Southeastern Louisiana’s seventh service error of the third set ended the game and gave the Wildcats a 25-23 victory.
The Wildcats added a convincing 25-15 set one win where ACU gathered 19 kills as a team, and a 25-20 victory in game two, which Southeastern Louisiana led 16-15 before a 5-0 Wildcat run.
Senior Sarah Siemens came up just four kills short of her first triple-double of the season as she finished with six kills, 10 digs and 31 assists. Senior libero Madison Hoover‘s 19 kills pushed her career total north of 1,600 as she sits second all-time in ACU history.
ACU finishes a three-game homestand against a winless Nicholls State team on Monday night in what will be celebrated as senior night for the Wildcat’s trio of seniors. The Wildcats will finish the season with a five-game road trip, including a matchup with McNeese State, who is currently tied with ACU for fourth place in the conference.
