ABILENE – The Sam Houston Bearkats held a lead after three sets, but could not hold back the home team on Thursday night as Abilene Christian took the final two sets to win 3-2 in the WAC opener for both teams at Moody Coliseum.
Alyssa Fielder led Sam Houston (3-12, 0-1 WAC) with 13 kills, but the Wildcats (4-9, 1-0 WAC) had plenty of offense of their own. Five ACU players finished with at least 11 kills and as a team the Cats outkilled the Kats by a 72-42 margin, hitting .351 for the night.
They were on fire in the opening set, hitting at a .441 clip before Sam Houston was able to respond with 25-21 wins in both Sets 2 and 3; however, ACU hit .533 over Sets 4 and 5 to close it out.
Elizabeth See led SHSU's defense with five blocks and
Hannah Baker totaled 14 digs, while
Avery Fowler dished out a team-best 15 assists.
Analise Lucio also picked up a double-double with 14 assists and 11 digs.
Sam Houston will now have a quick turnaround before continuing conference play on Saturday when it hosts rival Stephen F. Austin at Johnson Coliseum. The match is set for a 1:00 p.m. first serve and will be aired on ESPN+.
