Wildcats set to open LSC South play

ACU hosts Lady Buffs in early battle between league powers

ABILENE -- Voters in the Lone Star Conference pre-season poll picked West Texas A&M to win its eighth straight LSC South Division title in 2004 ... but just barely.

The Lady Buffs garnered 92 points in the poll, barely edging out ACU, which picked up one more first-place vote than did West Texas A&M, but one less total point in the poll.  Thursday night in Moody Coliseum, those two teams will give voters an early read on who was right when they open LSC South Division play against each other at 7 p.m.

Then on Saturday, the Wildcats will host Eastern New Mexico -- picked to finish third in the LSC South -- in another division matchup at 11 a.m.

The Wildcats are the hottest team in the LSC, having won eight straight matches going into Thursday night, including a 3-0 sweep of last weekend's LSC Crossover Tournament in Abilene.  ACU is 14-5 overall, while the Lady Buffs who also swept their three matches in the crossover tournament are 11-7.

But just like every other team in the LSC over the last 11 years, the Wildcats have been totally dominated by the Lady Buffs. 

Prior to a loss last Oct. 10 at Angelo State, West Texas A&M had won 77 straight matches against conference foes, and had finishedconference play undefeated each season from 1997-2002.  Included in those 77 straight LSC wins were 22 over the Wildcats, who have not beaten West Texas A&M since a five-game win on Oct. 8, 1993, at Moody Coliseum.

Of those 22 straight wins by West Texas A&M over ACU, 16 have come in three-game sweeps, and only one in October 1996  has been extended to five games.

Leading the ACU effort against the Lady Buffs will be junior outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt and senior libero Kellen Morrow, who were named the LSC South Division Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their roles in leading ACU to four wins last week in four matches.

Bernhardt leads the LSC in kills with 295, and is second in the LSC in kills per game at 4.61, while Morrow has 248 digs and is 10th in the LSC with 3.94 digs per game.  Junior middle blocker Amanda Slate has 222 kills on the season and leads the LSC in hitting percentage at .358, while junior setter Lindsey Martin leads the LSC in assists per game at 12.67 and is second in total assists with 811.

Bernhardt, Morrow and Martin, meanwhile, continue to climb career charts in kills, digsand assists, respectively.

Bernhardt is fourth in career kills with 1,341, while Martin is fourth in career assists with 3,381 and Morrow eighth in career digs with 1,257.

The young Lady Buffs, meanwhile, are led by Cynthia Carter (105 kills, .358 hitting percentage) and freshman setter Erin Houlihan, who has an LSC-best 835 assists and is secondin the LSC in assists per game at 12.46.

Eastern New Mexico is 12-3 going into Thursday's match at Angelo State, which is 13-4 in the early part of the season.  The Zias are led by Lindsey Schiely (184 kills) and setter Margie Goble, who has 650 assists and is fifth in the LSC in assists per game at 11.21.