By Brian Roe, Sports Writer

Brek Horn sat in her office Monday clearly dejected and disappointed. The Wildcat volleyball team enjoyed a successful 2003 campaign winning 25 games during the regular season, but its season was cut short Thursday after getting knocked out of the Lone Star Conference post-season tournament by Cameron in a quarterfinal match.

Cameron rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat ACU 30-16, 29-31, 28-30, 30-26, 15-10.

“We were very nervous; it was obvious at the beginning of the match and at the end,” Horn said. “We just did not play well. We hit a lot of balls out; we were very inconsistent during the first game, and it was a battle after that.”

The Wildcats hit just .115 in the match with 45 hitting errors. Sophomore outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt led the Wildcats with 24 kills, while senior outside hitter Haylee Hartline had 15 kills in her last game as an ACU volleyball player.

Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Slate had 15 kills and seven blocks, while sophomore setter Lindsey Martin posted 61 assists.

Bernhardt finishes the season with 623 kills, the second-best single-season total in school history. Hartline was second on the team with 624 kills and Martin finished the season with 1336 assists.

“We’ve had a great year it’s just hard to express right now after a tough loss,” Horn said. “Overall, if you look at the big picture, we had a successful season and I’m excited about next year because we are returning all but one player.”

Hartline is the only player from this year’s team that will not return for the 2004 season.

“We wouldn’t be near as successful this year without Haylee,” Horn said. “Our team leaned on her this year for guidance and leadership and she did a great job this year and the last four years.”

Horn said the coaching staff has completed the recruiting process for next fall. She expects “some girls” to sign in the next week or two, but the names of those players cannot be released until after the player signs with ACU.

Next, the Wildcats will begin off-season training after the New Year. The offseason program with include weights, running and a six-week practice session later in the spring.

Looking forward, Horn said she expects only good things for her volleyball team in 2004.

“This time next year we should be practicing getting ready for another match,” Horn said. “I expect us to be at the regional tournament.”