Wildcats open season in Canyon

ACU will play No. 15 Metro State on Saturday

CANYON -- The ACU volleyball team on Friday will begin what it hopes is a memorable 2004 season when it plays a pair of matches at the First General Services Lady Buff Classic, sponsored by West Texas A&M.

ACU, which finished 25-11 last year and is picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference South Division in 2004, will begin the classic Friday at 9:30 a.m. when it takes on Western New Mexico at 9:30 a.m. at the West Texas A&M Fieldhouse.  ACU's second match of the day will be a 4 p.m. match against New Mexico Highlands.

The Wildcats will conclude play in the classic with a pair of matches Saturday -- 9:30 a.m. against Adams State (Colo.), and 6 p.m. against nationally ranked Metropolitan State (Colo.).  The Roadrunners of Metro State are ranked No. 15 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association pre-season poll, and finished last season ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Southwest Region.

The Wildcats are ranked No. 28 in the nation in the AVCA pre-season top 25, the first time ACU has ever been ranked in the poll.

The four-match opening weekend is crucial for the Wildcats, if only because three of the matches -- against all but Western New Mexico -- are against NCAA Division II Southwest Region opponents.  Last year's ACU team got off to a 1-3 start, including 0-3 against region foes, and that start probably cost the Wildcats a berth in the regional tournament at the end of the regular season.

"We've talked all off-season about how important it is for us to get off to a good start to the season," said ACU head coach Brek Horn, who carries a 114-57 record into her sixth season.  "We've got to be able to get started quickly, and sustain that all the way through the regular season if we want to be able to get into the regional tournament.  These four matches this weekend will go a long way toward determining our post-season hopes."

ACU junior outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt is the LSC South Division Pre-Season Player of the Year.  Last year Bernhardt recorded 623 kills and 402 digs to earn first team all-LSC South Division honors and help her team finish 25-11 overall and 7-3 and second in the LSC South Division.

ACU has five returning starters, including Bernhardt and Amanda Slate, both of whom were first team all-LSC South Division in 2003.  ACU's 25 wins last year marked the third time in the last five years that ACU has topped the 20-win plateau.

ACU's first home match of the season will be Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. when it hosts Wayland Baptist at Moody Coliseum.