Two more conference wins are in the books for the ACU Wildcat volleyball team. A couple of tough road wins now put the Wildcats at 10-2 with a perfect 4-0 conference record.
Thursday’s match was unexpectedly tight against a tough Texas Womens’ squad. The Pioneers played better than their 3-8 record showed as the Wildcats put them away in four games, 3-1. All four games were decided by six points or less, but ACU showed it’s resolve and got a very important check mark in the win column.
“Their [Texas Womens’] record doesn’t look as good as what they really are,” said Head Coach Kellen Mock. “They are gonna make a run this season; they are a really good team.”
The Wildcats showed their all-around toughness on a night where the offense showed some cracks. Only once did the offense hit above .133 but the critical play of middle blockers Shawna Hines and Neely Borger provided enough defense for the win.
Hines filled the stat sheet with seven blocks, 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Borger had the best game of her young career, hitting a blistering .769 with six blocks, ten kills and no errors.
Ijeoma Moronu continued her stellar senior campaign with 33 assists and 25 digs. Freshman Madelyn Robinett also solidified herself as a key player with three kills and a hitting-percentage of .429.
In the game Saturday the Wildcat offense got back into form. A 3-0 shutout of Texas A&M Commerce extended the ‘Cats win streak to nine games. Jordan Schilling was the big name on offense in the win posting a double double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Libero Kelsie Edwards also helped out on the defensive side of the net with double-digit kills.
The Wildcats closed out the match in dominating fashion holding Commerce to a .086 hitting percentage while hitting .231 for a 25-17 win.
“I think we did a good job of taking care of winning conference games this past weekend,” Edwards said. “But I definitely think we have some things to work on this week in practice to reach our goal of perfection.”
The ‘Cats will now ride a 9-game win streak into the biggest tournament of the year. ACU will face the number 11 and 12 teams in the nation with games against Emporia State and Truman State. Both games will prove to be crucial when regional rankings come out.
In the weekly Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Wildcats barely missed out on a spot coming in at 26. A win against either Emporia or Truman could be the boost the ‘Cats need to break into the top 25.
“We are almost there; we are almost there,” Mock said. “It doesn’t count for anything, but it is an honor. It is an honor that I think these girls deserve.”
The girls leave Wednesday and will fly to Topeka, Kan. to get acclimated to the colder weather and a different environment. They will have two games Friday and two more on Saturday.
