California Baptist University
Abilene Christian University
VB Preview: CBU Hits the Road For Its First Road Conference Matches of 2024
10/2/2024 10:45:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University volleyball team will hit the road for the first time in conference play this week as they make the trip to Abilene, Texas, on Thursday and Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday.
CBU will take on the ACU Wildcats to open the week and then get a Monday matinee match against the Grand Canyon Lopes to close the long road trip. The Lancers will focus first on the Wildcats on Thursday evening, a team they lost a pair of heartbreaking matches to last season. ACU bested the Lancers in five sets in both matchups a season ago, including a reverse sweep the last time the two teams competed against each other at Moody Coliseum. The Lancers won the first two meetings in the series history, and the overall series is tied at two apiece heading into Thursday's matchup. ACU is currently 0-2 in conference play after dropping both of its road games in Utah last week.
CBU will end the week on Monday night as they head to Phoenix to take on the defending Western Athletic Conference Champion in the GCU Lopes. GCU split its opening week of conference play after falling to UTA Arlington at home and then besting Seattle U on the road. The Lopes have had the upper hand in the all-time series winning 13 of the 17 matchups, including most recently in the Quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament last season. CBU's last win was in 2021 in Riverside, and their only win in Phoenix happened in September 1992.
The Lancers began conference play with a split, sweeping Utah Valley in the conference opener before falling to top-seeded UT Arlington in five sets on Saturday. CBU's service game was the leading factor in the over UVU, racking up an NCAA-era program record 21 aces in the three-set match, including seven apiece from Mia Jerue and Gianna Perez. Jerue is currently 30th in the nation in aces per set and 20th in total aces with 26. Eliana Posada currently paces the Lancer's offense with 98 kills and consistently also leads in total points with 111.0. Posada has led the team in kills in 11 of the team's 14 matches, and she is also a force on defense, ranking third on the team in blocks with 25.0.
MATCH INFORMATION:
CBU at ACU:
DATE/TIME: Oct.3 @4PM PT
LOCATION: Moody Coliseum- Abilene, TX
WATCH: ESPN+
CBU vs UTA:
DATE/TIME: Oct. 7 @7PM PT
LOCATION: GCU Arena- Phoenix, AZ
WATCH: ESPN+
