HOUSTON – In a match much closer than its final outcome, HBU had to rally from behind late in both the second and third sets to pull out a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-23) sweep of Abilene Christian in Southland Conference volleyball Monday night at Sharp Gym.
Senior outside hitter
Melissa Fuchs led the Huskies (14-8, 5-1 SLC) with 14 kills, while adding seven digs, and junior outside hitter
Bailey Banks added 10 kills and nine digs. Senior setter
Kayla Armer dished out 34 assists and had four kills, seven digs and four blocks. Junior libero
Hailey Erickson had 12 digs, sophomore defensive specialist
Rachel Angeles pitched in with 10 and junior outside hitter
Laura Fox added five blocks.
Jacey Smith led the Wildcats (5-17, 4-3) with 10 kills and eight digs, while Lauren Walker had eight kills and six blocks. Makenzie Kesler notched 20 assists and Kendall Bosse had 12. Amanda Chapa posted a match-high 14 digs, while Marybeth Sandercox had five blocks to go along with her five kills.
ACU outhit HBU, .194-191, but had six fewer kills, 43-37. The Wildcats outblocked the Huskies, 10-8, but HBU led in digs, 47-44. A key difference in the match came at the service line, where HBU had five aces and six errors, while ACU had three aces, but made 10 errors.
The Wildcats had a three-point lead early in the first set, but an ace by junior middle blocker
Blair Gillard tied the set, 8-8. ACU still led at 15-14, but HBU scored four-straight behind a pair of kills by Fuchs to lead 18-15. The Wildcats got to within two at 21-19, but a service error and an kill by senior right side
Ashlee Vann put the Huskies up by four. Fox got HBU to set point with a kill, but after a sideout by ACU, the Wildcats ended the set with a service error to hand the Huskies a 25-21 decision.
HBU got off to a slow start in the second, falling behind 6-2. ACU built its lead to as many as six at 15-9. Trailing 17-13, the Huskies got a pair of aces by Armer during a four-point spurt to tie the set. After a Wildcats sideout, the Huskies got a kill by Banks and took advantage of an attack error to take their first lead of the set. It would be short-lived as ACU fought back to reclaim the lead and the Wildcats had set point with a 24-22 lead. HBU then ripped off the last four points of the set, getting a kill by Gillard and an attack error by ACU to tie, then Angeles dug a ball which went over the net and off a Wildcats defender for a kill to get the Huskies to set point. Fox finished off the set with a kill as HBU outlasted ACU, 26-24.
The Huskies scored four of the first five points in the third, but the Wildcats chipped away to cut the lead to 13-12. After an HBU sideout, ACU scored five in a row to take a 17-14 lead. The Wildcats still led by three at 20-17, but a two kills by Banks got the Huskies within one at 21-20. After Smith gave ACU a two-point lead, Fuchs and Gillard each had kills to tie the score, 22-22. Smith answered to put ACU ahead, 23-22, but a service error tied it, Fuchs had a kill to get HBU to set point and ACU's final attack sailed just long as HBU pulled out a 25-23 win.
HBU wrapped up a 3-1 homestand, but will hit the road for its next four, beginning with a matchup against conference-leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Corpus Christi, followed by Incarnate Word Saturday morning at 11 in San Antonio.
