Bernhardt gets 24 kills in rout of LCU

ACU sophomore leads Wildcats to fourth straight victory

ABILENE -- Just hours after being named the Lone Star Conference South Division Hitter of the Week for her performance at last weekend's Texas A&M-Commerce Invitational, ACU outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt began making her case for next week's award.

Bernhardt, a sophomore from Hereford, hammered down 24 kills and hit .488 Tuesday night to lead the Wildcats to a 30-23, 30-23, 30-28 win over Lubbock Christian in a non-conference match at Moody Coliseum.  The victory stretches ACU's winning streak to four matches and pushes the team's overall record to 11-5.

ACU has won 10 of its last 12 matches heading into this weekend's LSC Crossover Tournament in Wichita Falls.  The Wildcats will take on Texas Woman's and Midwestern State on Friday, followed by a Saturday match against Texas A&M-Commerce.

Bernhardt had two matches this season with at least 29 kills -- 31 kills on Sept. 6 against Colorado State-Pueblo and 29 kills last Friday against Harding -- and now she adds a 24-kill match to her ever-growing resume. 

Senior outside hitter Haylee Hartline had 12 kills, while sophomore setter Lindsey Martin had 44 assists and sophomore middle blocker Amanda Slate had six kills in a balanced Wildcat effort.

The Wildcats jumped out to a big 18-6 lead in the first game and never looked back on their way to the win over the Lady Chaparrals, who fell to 10-4 with the loss.