October 30, 2008
‘Cats beat Ags 3-0
LAWTON, Oklahoma (October 30) – Clinching a postseason berth got a bit tougher for the Cameron Aggie volleyball team (13-11, 4-6 LSC) after they lost tonight’s match against the Abilene Christian Wildcats (20-8, 6-4 LSC). ACU swept CU 3-0, and the sets were scored 25-23, 25-19, 25-19. With three matches left in the regular season, the Aggies are trailing Central Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State for the final playoff spot.
“What’s disappointing is that we came out with a lot of intensity in the first set, but didn’t come out and play the same way in sets two and three,” Head Coach Brianne Smedley said. “Our intensity and desire weren’t lacking, but I think our skills were.”
Cameron recorded just a .056 attack percentage after posting 35 kills (26 errors) on 160 attacks. They competed extremely well in the first set, but Abilene Christian took control in the second and third sets. CU recorded more digs than ACU, 77 to 75, but was out-blocked 9 to 2. The Wildcats recorded a .139 attack percentage in the match.
“We needed better offense tonight,” Coach Smedley said. “Some of our hitters didn’t step up and we couldn’t convert offensively, and that’s what hurt us. I think our defense really stepped it up this match though.”
Senior libero Haley Hatch led the Aggies defensively tonight as she recorded a match-high 22 defensive digs. She also chipped in 3 assists for the second-highest total on the team.
With 9 kills, freshman outside hitter Adrienne Lawson had CU’s best game offensively. She posted 9 kills (5 errors) on 36 attacks for a .111 attack percentage. Lawson also contributed a defensive dig in the match.
CU’s highest attack percentage came courtesy of freshman outside hitter Nikita Abbott who finished with a .600. In her short time on the court, Abbott made a large impact. She recorded 3 kills (0 errors) on 5 attacks as well as a block-assist.
Should the Aggies win their final three matches, they would need a few other things to happen in order to qualify for the postseason. CU is currently in 10th place in the Lone Star Conference standings. The top eight teams in the LSC make the postseason tournament, which is hosted by the number one seed. West Texas A&M is a win away from wrapping up the top seed.
As mentioned previously, the Aggies have just three matches left in the regular season. CU’s home finale is scheduled for this Saturday (November 1) against the Angelo State Rambelles. The match begins at 2:00pm in Aggie Gym following the team’s annual “Senior Day” ceremony.
“All athletes have the desire to win, and that is the mindset we need going into Saturday,” Coach Smedley said. “We need to go into the match wanting to win and wanting to play great for our seniors. We can’t be focused on where we are in the standings or what we and other teams need to do for the playoffs. We need to be focused on playing great on senior day; we’d like to finish our home season on a positive note.”
This year CU’s seniors are Hatch, libero Veronica Reeks, and middle blocker Whitney Long.