The volleyball team captured its first Southland Conference victory as they defeated Nicholls State, 3-0.

The Wildcats swept the Colonels, 25-19, 25-14 and 25-20 as they kept control throughout the competition.

“It was a great boost playing in Moody because we felt like we needed to defend our home court,” freshman Lexi Mercier said. “We all were very focused and ready to win.”

Junior Neely Borger led the Wildcats with eight kills on the afternoon, while sophomore Sarah Siemens had 25 assists. Sophomore libero Madison Hoover had another solid game as she recorded 19 digs against Nicholls State.

“Our game plan was to be both aggressive and smart,” Siemens said. “We’ve been working on different plays incorporating faster sets and more crossing patterns to open up hitters against the big block.”

The Wildcats opened up with a lot of energy, taking the first set behind big blocks from Mercier who finished with eight blocks. She had over half of the team’s blocks as ACU finished with 15 as a team. The Wildcats were able to fight back as Nicholls State would try to come back in each set, but would come up short while feeding off the home crowd energy.

“It’s such a thrill to play on your home court and have pride in playing for your school,” sophomore Jennifer Loerch said. “Support from fans goes a really long way.”

ACU came into the game with losses to Central Arkansas, Oral Roberts and McNeese State. The win against Nicholls State puts the Wildcats at 5-7 overall and 1-3 in the Southland Conference. The Colonels now stand at 3-11 and 0-4 in conference play.

“Our past games have really made us focus on what we need to change in our game and what we need to work on,” Hoover said. “We need to execute on our side of the ball and capitalize on their weaknesses.”

The team will travel to Houston to take on the Houston Baptist Huskies on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Huskies are 5-10 with an 0-3 Southland Conference record. HBU is coming off of three straight losses and have lost five of their last seven games.