The volleyball team cruised past the University of Texas-Permian Basin with a 3-0 victory in Odessa on Tuesday night.
The win bumped the Wildcats’ record to 12-4, while the Falcons fell to 9-12. ACU hit .356 for the match, collecting 47 kills and committing only 11 errors over the course of 101 attacks. The Falcons hit just .052 for the match and committed 21 errors in 97 attacks. ACU Head Coach Kellen Mock said her squad turned in one of their most complete performances of the season.
“We really struggled to get ready and play after the long bus ride over there, but after that the girls really put it together,” Mock said. “There really wasn’t a part of the game that we struggled at. It’s good to have games like that.”
The long bus ride might have explained why the team found itself down 12-10 in the first set, but the Wildcats roared back to take it 25-18. ACU won the second and third sets with repeat scores of 25-16.
Junior Shawna Hines anchored the Wildcats with 10 kills and seven blocks. The Jordan Schilling, Lauren Leone and Jennie Hutt threesome came together to collect 24 combined kills. Mock said she was pleased with the overall performance of her players, particularly Hines.
“She’s leading the nation in blocks right now, and there is not enough you can say about her blocking ability,” Mock said. “Any time you can get the ball to her quickly, she’s hard to stop. She has taken her game to the next level.”
The Wildcats are on a roll, having won 11 of their past 12 matches. The last five victories have all been 3-0. A 3-0 loss to West Texas A&M is the only loss the squad has suffered since Sept. 12.
The Wildcats will travel to Pittsburg, Kan., for the 2009 Pittsburg State Invitational this weekend. The team will take on Central Missouri, Missouri Southern State, Newman and Pittsburg State. Mock said she anticipates a solid performance from her team and hopes the touvwrnament will prepare them for the return to conference play.
“It’s a big regional tournament for us,” she said. “Our opponents this weekend are tough, and in some instances better than the teams in our conference. We need to come away with three to four wins. We expect to win. That’s what we need most.”
