The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. This was after a historic weekend where they went 2-0 and had multiple players break personal records.
The first set was a very back and forth battle until late when the Red Raiders went on a late 4-0 run to help secure the set win. While the Wildcats had more kills with 13 this set, those kills were minimized by nine errors and a .156 hitting percentage.
The second set was based on individual scoring runs, including a 9-1 run that the Red Raiders used to take a commanding 11-point lead. Texas Tech would win the set 25-15 while outhitting the Wildcats with a .237 hitting percentage.
The final set was closely contested until the Red Raiders opened a run of 10-2, making the score 15-7. From there the Red Raiders went on to win the set 25-13, though the Wildcats didn’t go down easy having several late points.
Throughout the three matches, the Wildcats found themselves outscored 57.5 to 32, along with being out killed 42-31. Senior outside and right-side hitter Lindsey Toney, who came into the game leading Division I in points per set, struggled in the contest versus the Red Raiders.
“I think as things weren’t going the way she thought they might, it was kind of hard, and things started to compound,” said head coach Angela Mooney. “For us, it’s just that she’s never been in such a big role within our program. I think it’s about learning and getting better and getting more experience in that larger role, but I think she’ll do a great job of it.”
Wednesday’s matchup would be the sixth time in a row ACU would lose to Texas Tech since their last win versus the Red Raiders in 2013 in the Wildcats’ first year in Division I. This would also be the Wildcats’ first matchup with a power five school in a season, including one more Big 12 matchup versus the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. Sept. 14.
The Wildcats will continue their season this weekend in the Wildcat Classic. They will open the tournament on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. versus the University of New Mexico at the Teague Special Events Center, with the game streaming on the WAC Digital Network.
