By Joshua Parrott, Sports Writer
Whenever a team loses a top player, few teams are able to compensate for the loss and still succeed.
Consider the ACU volleyball team as an exception to the rule.
This past weekend, the Wildcats dominated Lone Star Conference Crossover matches against Texas Woman’s and Midwestern State without star freshman outside hitter Mi-chelle Bernhardt, winning both matches 3-0 and moving the Wildcats closer to a berth in the LSC Post-Season Tournament.
Head coach Brek Horn said the Wildcats played well despite the absence of Bern-hardt, who has battled back spasms throughout this season, but is expected back this weekend.
“The team is very open to change,” said Horn, whose team is 16-11 overall, 3-3 in LSC South play. “We had to make some adjustments throughout the weekend, but it’s fun to see someone else step up when someone is unable to perform. It makes me feel confident and good about my team.”
The Wildcats filled in the void Bernhardt’s injury created by moving sophomores Kellen Morrow and Sophia Kindred into the open slot at outside hitter. Morrow led the team with 12 kills in the Texas Woman’s match and redshirt freshman setter Lindsey Martin added up 42 assists, as Texas Woman’s finished with 31 errors in the three-game match.
ACU stormed through mistake-prone Midwestern State squad, winning 30-27, 30-8, 30-26. Martin led the Wildcats with 39 assists and 10 digs and as a team; ACU made no errors in the second game of the match and had an attacking percentage of .483, including 14 kills. Midwestern State made 12 errors in game two alone and had a dismal -.122 attacking percentage.
Horn said the Wildcats needed to improve the play in the middle of the court and that this past weekend the duo of freshman rightside hitter Amanda Slate and freshman middle blocker Ashlee Motola stepped up, as the two freshmen accumulated 40 total kills during last weekend’s two matches.
The two non-conference wins build motivation and momentum for the Wildcats, who had lost two of the previous three matches heading into last weekend, including two consecutive 3-0 shutouts.
According to Horn, next week is crucial to the post-season chances for ACU. The Wildcats have a pair of home matches, including Friday night against the nationally-ranked Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M and Saturday against Eastern New Mexico. The two teams are currently ranked one-two in the LSC South, just ahead of the Wildcats.
“It’s a big week,” Horn said. “We’ve matured so much since the last time we played Eastern New Mexico (3-2 away loss on Sept. 20).”
ACU hits the court again next week in a non-conference showdown against Incarnate Word.
