By Joshua Parrott, Sports Writer
One down, six to go.
For the ACU volleyball team, Tuesday’s four-game win over Angelo State was the first of many wins the Wildcats need to earn a spot in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament.
“We have to win out except for West Texas A&M,” said Horn, whose Wildcats are 14-10 overall, 3-3 in LSC South Division play. “We need to beat Eastern New Mexico at home and Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville on the road and we’ll be in good shape.”
ACU took care of Angelo State for the first time this season, taking the match in four games, 30-26, 30-21, 26-30, 30-28.
Horn said the second match against Angelo State was a rather lopsided match, with ACU dominating games one and two.
The Wildcats are currently behind West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico in the LSC South, just ahead of Tarleton State and worlds ahead of Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State. ACU is one of only three teams in the LSC South to have a winning record.
A few Wildcats are nursing injuries right now, good timing because the team is off until an Oct. 22 home match against St. Mary’s. ACU commanded the entire Oct. 11 match in a 3-0 win over St.Mary’s, winning 30-28, 30-21, 30-21.
Junior outside hitter Haylee Hartline and freshman outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt imposed a dominant Wildcat attack, as Hartline collected 15 kills and Bernhardt added 13 kills. Senior defensive specialist/ libero Grae Grimes led the Wildcats with 18 digs, while redshirt freshman setter Lindsey Martin had 37 assists.
“Our match against St. Mary’s was one of our best matches of the year,” Horn said. “We played pretty solid for the entire match from beginning to end. We have to play at that level or more to beat them here at home.”