Abilene Christian 3, A&M-Commerce 0
Location: Moody Coliseum * Abilene, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (8-13, 3-10 LSC); Abilene Christian (14-11, 8-5 LSC)
Up Next: at No. 17 Angelo State * Saturday, Oct. 22 * 2 p.m.
ABILENE, Texas – A&M-Commerce gave Abilene Christian everything it could handle on its home court, but in the end, the Wildcats got the key points when it counted, outlasting the Lions as A&M-Commerce drops the match 23-25, 27-29, 27-29 Thursday evening. The Lions fall to 8-13 on the year and 3-10 in Lone Star Conference play.
"It's frustrating, it really is," said head coach Craig Case. "We had the perfect opportunity to pick up a huge road win, but couldn't get the key points when it counted. Credit to Abilene – they did exactly what they needed to do to win. But we also played well enough to get the victory tonight and didn't get it done."
A&M-Commerce did get another big night from Rachel Robertson, who finished with 17 kills on 32 attempts with just one hitting error – a .500 hitting percentage. Robertson also posted three blocks (two solo) for the Lions, finishing with 19.5 points on the night.
Freshman Ezon Onditi played well up front for A&M-Commerce, just missing her second-straight double-double with nine kills and 10 digs for the Lions. Fellow freshman Breanne Snyder had seven kills, five digs and a pair of blocks while Kayla Bond led the team in blocks with six, adding three kills offensively.
Jordan Neal posted 33 assists for A&M-Commerce, averaging 11 per set, with six digs and a pair of blocks. Dakota Crockett paced the back row with 15 digs, complemented by six from Savanah Neal.
A&M-Commerce found itself in a hole early as Abilene Christian came out energized on its home court. The Wildcats notched the first four points of the night, eventually extending that lead to six at 15-9. The Lions were able to whittle into that lead, pulling to within one at 21-20 late and again at 24-23, but a kill from Abilene Christian closed out the opener 25-23.
Set two proved to be one of the tightest contested sets in recent history for A&M-Commerce as both the Lions and Wildcats combined for 15 ties and four lead changes. After exchanging points through the first half of the set, A&M-Commerce was able to build a four-point advantage, leading 18-14 off a block from Snyder and Bond. But a 5-1 run reclaimed the lead for Abilene Christian at 21-20 as the two teams began a back-and-forth battle down the stretch. The Lions fought off four set points in the second, but a pair of kills from Sara Oxford clinched the second 29-27 for the Wildcats.
Abilene fed off that momentum early in set three, establishing an early 8-3 led on the Lions. But A&M-Commerce once again fought back, tying the set at 13-13. After watching the Wildcats build a late 20-16 advantage, the Lions showed its resolve, taking the lead at 25-24 and looking to extend the match. But a 5-2 run by Abilene Christian closed out the aggravating night for A&M-Commerce as the Lions drop all three sets by a combined six points.
Abilene Christian had three players finish with double-digit kill totals, led by 19 from Jennie Hutt. Sara Oxford added 16 for the Wildcats with Neely Borg finishing with 11. Setter Haley Rhoads posted 51 assists on the night, averaging 17 per set for ACU, while libero Kelsie Edwards notched 30 digs, averaging 10 per set in the victory.
The road doesn't get any easier for Case's Lions as A&M-Commerce now heads to San Angelo for a battle with 17th-ranked Angelo State. The Rambelles are 23-2 on the year and 12-1 in Lone Star Conference play and took a 3-0 decision over the Lions on Sept. 16 at the Field House. Opening serve is set for 2 p.m.
