California Baptist University
1-14,1-2WAC
Abilene Christian University
6-8,1-2WAC
CBU's Comeback Comes Up Short in Abilene
10/3/2024 7:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ABILENE, TX--- A late rally by the California Baptist University volleyball team came up short on Thursday night as they fell to the Abilene Christian Wildcats in five sets.
It was the second straight match for CBU that went the distance, dropping their conference record to 1-2. For the Wildcats, it was their first conference win of the young season, and they tied themselves with CBU at 1-2 in Western Athletic Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Wildcats built a 16-7 lead on the Lancers in set one, forcing Head Coach Branden Higa to call both of his timeouts to regain composure. CBU would mount a comeback on ACU, scoring five of the next six points to make the deficit manageable. An incredible effort by the Lancer defense prevented ACU from ending the set at 25-19, but the Wildcats would get the final point on the next serve to take the 1-0 lead.
The second set was the longest of the season for either team, combining for 58 points when all was finished. The Lancers held the early advantage on the Wildcats, leading by as many as five points in the frame. The Wildcats would rally and send the set to extra points by scoring on five out of six possessions. CBU would get to set point first off a Mia Jerue swing, but ACU would earn set point on three different occasions, one of which would end the set in favor of the home team 30-28.
CBU would avenge the close loss in set three with a dominant showing in the third set. After falling behind 2-5 early, CBU would score on nine of the subsequent 13 rallies to take control of the set and would ride the momentum to the 25-20 victory to force a fourth set. CBU would further fuel its momentum with a back-and-forth victory in the fourth set. After trailing by as many as four points in the set, CBU stayed vigilant and, thanks to back-to-back aces from Gianna Perez, would tie the set at 22 apiece. ACU would score on the next possession, but an Eliana Posada kill followed by a Wildcat error would give the set to the Lancers by a score of 25-23.
After falling in the previous two sets, the Wildcats would settle down in the fifth set by taking the early 6-4 lead. The Lancers would tie the frame at nine apiece before ACU would score six of the final eight points to hold off the CBU rally.
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Multiple Lancers posted season-best performances in the match, including three players posting double-doubles. One of the double-double performances came from setter Reese Reed, who tied a season-high with 24 assists and registered a season-high 12 digs. Reed also tied for the team lead with four aces. Libero Amanda Darling had her second 20+ dig performance of the season with 21 and had a career-best ten assists to earn the double-double. Jerue would also earn a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs.
Kali Wolf had a terrific game as an outside hitter for the Lancers, leading the team with a season-high 15 kills, chipped in eight digs, and posted two blocks for a complete performance.
NEXT: The Lancers will remain on the road for a Monday night battle with Grand Canyon, with first serve set for 6 PM PT.
