After winning eight consecutive home matches, ACU volleyball’s streak came to an end Thursday night with a 3-0 loss to Tarleton State at Moody Coliseum.

The loss also snapped the Wildcats’ four-match winning streak and marked their first home defeat since August.

Before the match, Alyssa Todd, a freshman outside hitter from Aledo, Texas, and the reigning United Athletic Conference Freshman Player of the Week, said the Wildcats were eager for another opportunity to face Tarleton State after falling to the Texans 3-0 in Stephenville on Oct. 10.

“We are all excited to play them because we want to get back at them,” Todd said. “Every year it is a rivalry against them, so we are just excited.”

The Wildcats opened the first set with three consecutive points before Tarleton State responded with a 9-2 run to take an 11-7 lead.

ACU battled back to regain the lead at 22-21, but the Texans closed the set with four consecutive points to take the opening set 25-22.

The Wildcats and Texans traded points early in the second set before Tarleton State went on a 7-2 run to take a 15-10 lead.

Trailing 21-14, ACU attempted to rally. Pierson Smith, a freshman setter from Choctaw, Oklahoma, entered the match and recorded her second career service ace to tie the score at 23-23. However, Tarleton scored the final two points to take the second set 25-23.

Avery Thaler, a junior middle blocker from Fairfield, Texas, led the Wildcats in the second set with four kills and five blocks. Hadlee Welch, a sophomore right-side hitter from Lubbock, Texas, added two kills and two blocks.

ACU continued to battle in the third set after Tarleton State opened with an 8-2 run, giving the Texans a 17-11 lead.

The Wildcats rallied to take a 24-23 lead and reach set point, but the two teams continued trading points before Tarleton secured the final three points to win the set 29-27, completing the sweep.

Thaler led the Wildcats with 11 kills and eight blocks, while Todd followed with nine kills and one block. Welch finished with eight kills and three blocks.

Rachel Koss, a senior setter from Freedom, Wisconsin, recorded her sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 29 assists and 13 digs. She also added one ace and two blocks.

Abby Christian, a senior defensive specialist from Kansas City, Missouri, recorded three service aces to bring her career total to 122. She also added 10 digs.

Head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup said the team plans to approach each match individually, emphasizing that the outcome of one match does not determine the result of the next.

“We really just want to take it one at a time and understand the results from any game aren’t gonna directly affect the result of the next game,” Moronu Alstrup said. “We’re gonna take care of this and end it on Saturday.”

The Wildcats are now 9-4 in conference play and will face the UT Arlington Mavericks on Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington in their final road match of the season.