The ACU volleyball team came away with two big victories last week against conference opponents McNeese State and Nicholls State.

The Wildcats improved their record to 4-10 in conference over the weekend, as they took matching 3-1 wins over the Cowgirls and the Colonels.

In the game against McNeese, junior Jennifer Loerch and senior Taylor Nix combined for 26 kills for the ‘Cats, one of the main reasons for ACU’s success.

The McNeese Cowgirls took the first match Thursday, 27-25, but the Wildcats took reign in the final three, going 25-17, 25-23 and 25-23.

In the second match, the Wildcats left their opponents at 17 points and gave them a record of 14-16 and 4-10 in the conference.

“The season isn’t about the amount of wins or losses,” said Nix, outside hitter from Crawford. “It’s about showing that we aren’t going to give up. We are setting the tone for the program under Jason’s lead.”

Against Nicholls State (5-9), ACU utilized tactics from their previous win to improve their record once more Saturday. The Wildcats fell behind after the first set, 21-25, but then bounced back to take the next three, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-17.

Loerch, junior outside hitter from Georgetown, had another 15 kills and four blocks, while teammate Lexi Mercier, sophomore middle blocker from Centennial, Colorado, finished the match with 10 kills and six blocks.

“It felt so good getting these past two wins in conference,” said Brooke Ray, sophomore defensive specialist from Lucas. “We are finally playing so well together, and the chemistry on the court is incredible.”

Ray had a team high of 29 digs against the Cowgirls, followed up with 16 against the Colonels from her position at libero.

The team has a chance to continue their winning streak and take two more wins this week against Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State.

“This past week has given us a ton of confidence and hope going into this week against two really hard teams,” Ray said.

The two final games of the season will be played at home Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin (21-7, 14-0) and Northwestern State University (11-16, 8-6).

“We will fight no matter what the odds, and we will continue to play with pride for not just ourselves but for each other and the ACU volleyball program,” Nix said.