The top tier of Southland Conference gave the Lady ‘Cats two tough losses in their first two matches.

The ‘Cats lost against both Central Arkansas and Oral Roberts University in three sets to drop their record to 4-6. The wildcats kept the game close but eventually fell short in all three sets.

“Our offense is struggling to score and, defensively, we didn’t have our best games. But, overall, we did hang with two good teams,” said head coach Kellen Mock.

The two matches had some great performances by sophomores Madison Hoover and Sarah Siemens.

Madison Hoover had two successful games by combining for a total of 21 digs. Sarah Siemens had a solid performance against Central Arkansas by recording 19 assists. Siemens continued her success against Oral Roberts by recording 20 assists.

Siemens said the two games were beneficial to the girls.

“It was good because we got to see what kinds of teams the Southland Conference brings and to know that they are beatable,” said Siemens, who reached a season total of 279 assists.

The team will be playing McNeese State on Sept. 26 and Nicholls State on Sept. 28. Both games are here in Abilene.

McNeese comes in with a 7-8 record and 1-2 conference record, while Nicholls State comes in 3-9 with a 0-2 conference record.

The crowd that came out to Moody to see the Tech game had a huge impact on the game giving lots of morale to the ‘Cats. A high attendance of spectators at the game, similar to the Texas Tech game, should help the wildcats return to form, Mock said.

“One of the things we wanted to do this year was make Moody Coliseum a tough place to play,” he said.

The away crowds have been subpar compared to most of the other Southland opponents, giving Moody Coliseum a chance to be known as a tough place to play around the conference.