ACU volleyball began conference play on the road, splitting its opening two matches as three Wildcats made history before returning home to face Austin Peay and Little Rock.

The Wildcats made their United Athletic Conference debut Thursday, Sept. 24, against the University of North Alabama at CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall, falling in five sets.

Despite the loss, Alyssa Todd, a freshman outside hitter from Aledo, Texas, recorded a career-high 21 kills, setting the Wildcats’ Division I record for most kills in a game by a freshman, a mark that had stood since 2008.

Todd now has 136 kills in her freshman campaign.

Alexis Strong, a senior outside hitter/right side from Louisville, Kentucky, recorded a season-high 12 kills against the Lions.

Rachel Koss, a senior setter from Freedom, Wisconsin, recorded a career-high four blocks and registered her second consecutive double-double and third of the season.

ACU dropped the first set 25-16 against North Alabama but battled back to claim the second, winning 27-25 after trailing 24-21 at set point for the Lions.

The Wildcats carried that momentum into the third set, but North Alabama answered by taking the next two sets to win the match 3-2.

Head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup said there were some things the team could have cleaned up but thought the Wildcats competed well against the 11-4 Lions.

“We never gave up,” Moronu Alstrup said. “We showed a lot of grit and perseverance through the game, even though it didn’t go our way.”

ACU bounced back quickly, picking up its first UAC win with a 3-0 sweep against West Georgia the following Saturday.

Abby Christian, a senior defensive specialist from Kansas City, Missouri, became ACU’s Division I career service ace leader with her 104th ace.

“It felt really good. It felt like it showed that my hard work has paid off,” Christian said. “As a back-row player, really being able to score a point off my serve shows that I take my job seriously.”

Brennan Ramirez, a redshirt sophomore from Waxahachie, Texas, also made history against the Wolves.

Ramirez tallied 27 digs, tying for the most by a Wildcat in a three-set matchup in the DI era and tying for third-most in the nation this season.

With her performance, Ramirez earned her second UAC Player of the Week honor and now leads the conference with 279 total digs and 5.17 digs per set, ranking sixth nationally in both categories.

Ramirez said receiving the honor has helped her mentally and made her feel like she is contributing to her teammates.

“It makes me feel really good, going into starting conference strong, just feels great,” Ramirez said. “It is noticeable statistic-wise, but my teammates really pour into me and make me feel really supported.”

The record-breaking weekend was especially meaningful for Moronu Alstrup, who played at ACU from 2007-10. Some of the records her players broke were previously held by her former teammates.

“It’s been fun to be here long enough to see the girls make a lasting impact and leave their own legacy on the program,” Moronu Alstrup said. “A lot of the records they are breaking were my teammates’.”

The Wildcats wrapped up September with an 8-3 record for the month.

ACU returns to Moody Coliseum Oct. 1 to face Austin Peay before hosting Little Rock Oct. 3 with a 4-2 home record.