ABILENE – It was a perfect start to the week for Tarleton State Volleyball, who notched their second WAC win against conference-rival ACU on Monday night.
The Texans (7-16 overall, 2-8 WAC) took down the Wildcats (8-13, 3-7) in four sets, 27-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23. With the win, Tarleton evened the season series, 1-1, avenging its five-set loss in Stephenville earlier this month.
Emma Halcomb tied Tarleton’s D1 record for most digs in a single match, setting a new career-high with a match-best 34 digs. Halcomb tied the record previously set by Ana Costas in the 2021 season.
Megan Hodges registered 27 assists and notched her 2,000th career assists against the Wildcats. She becomes the eighth Texan all-time to achieve this feat and the second in Tarleton’s D1 history. Hodges also notched her team-high 11th double-double of the season, posting 27 assists and 13 digs.
Allison Bryant tallied her seventh double-double. Bryant led the team recording 18 kills and added 17 digs as well. Emma Burke registered a team-high five blocks, marking her fourth-straight match leading the Texans. Burke also totaled 10 kills, marking her fifth match this season in double digits.
The first game was a true back-and-forth affair. The Texans opened on a 3-1 run thanks to kills from Mya Cabrera and Bryant. However, the Wildcats showed resilience, keeping it close throughout the entire set. Neither team held a lead larger than two points for the entirety of the set. Tied at 23, Tarleton closed on a 4-2 run which included a Burke kill and three errors from ACU, leading the Purple and White to a 27-25 victory in the first frame. Bryant had a flurry of seven kills during the opening period. The Texans hit at a .275 clip in the first set, the best in any game by either team in the match.
The Wildcats opened the second stanza with a 6-3 run. The Texans turned things around to take an 8-7 lead off a powerful kill from Madison Frank. Shortly after, Tarleton sparked a 6-0 run to take a 16-9 advantage. At the 20-15 mark following three consecutive Bryant kills, ACU rallied to tie the set at 23. The Wildcats won the second set, 26-24, to tie the match at one game apiece.
At the 7-6 mark in the third, The Texans burst open a spectacular 8-0 run that contained three assists from Hodges and two Burke blocks. The Texans never looked back, going on another 3-0 run to take a 24-16 lead. The Purple and White ultimately clinched the third set, 25-19. Yuna Ansquer and Hodges assisted 10 out of Tarleton’s 25 points in the third frame.
During the fourth and final stanza, the Texans led, 5-4. Boosted by a trio of Ansquer assists, the Texans used a 5-1 run to take a six-point lead. ACU outscored the Texans 8-1 to tie the set at 22. In the final points, the Wildcats were unable to hold off Tehana Mo’o and Burke. The Texans clinched the match with a 25-23 victory in the fourth game.
Tarleton out-blocked Abilene Christian, 7-5, and posted 90 digs compared to ACU’s 88. The Wildcats led in kills, 59-53.
With its victory, the Purple and White move within one match of three teams for WAC playoff seeding. Tarleton State Volleyball will have the opportunity to improve their tournament seeding during their next match against California Baptist on Thursday. The match will be held at Wisdom Gym with first serve set for 6 p.m. CT. Early-arriving fans will receive free Halloween themed ducks for Tarleton’s Volloween giveaway.
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