Wildcats back in action at Crossover

ACU carries 17-match winning streak into tournament

 DENTON - The ACU Wildcats will try to extend their school-record winning streak this weekend when play in the second of two Lone Star Conference Crossover Tournaments.

The Wildcats, along with the other 13 teams in the LSC, will be at Texas Woman's University on Friday and Saturday to play in the tournament.  ACU will open the tournament Friday at 1 p.m. when it takes on defending LSC North Division champion Cameron, followed by a 7 p.m. match against Southwestern Oklahoma State.

ACU will wrap up tournament play Saturday at 3 p.m. when it takes on Texas Woman's.  ACU is 3-0 all-time against both Cameron and Texas Woman's in Crossover Tournament play, while Friday night's match against SWOSU is the first time the Wildcats and Lady Bulldogs have met on the volleyball court.

ACU and West Texas A&M go into the tournament each carrying 20-1 all-time records in the LSC North-South Division challenge.  Each loss was delivered by Central Oklahoma, which beat ACU in 2002 and West Texas A&M last month at Moody Coliseum in Abilene.

The Wildcats -- ranked No. 14 again this week in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association Top 25 -- are on a roll, having won a school-record 17 straight matches, including their last eight by 3-0 sweeps.  ACU swept St. Edward's on the road Tuesday night to improve to 17-3 on the season.  The Wildcats, who haven't lost a game since dropping the third game in a four-game win over Central Oklahoma on Sept. 16, have won 11 of their last 12 matches by 3-0 scores.

ACU is led by senior outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt, who has 317 kills (4.66 per game), while hitting .278 on the year.  Senior middle blocker Amanda Slate -- this week's LSC South Division Defensive Player of the Week -- has 276 kills and is hitting .368 on the season after hitting .576 and collecting 21 kills in Tuesday's win over St. Edward's.

Senior rightside hitter Ashlee Motola continues to lead the LSC in hitting percentage at .375 to go along with 203 kills.  Sophomore outside hitter Abbie Lowry has 214 kills on the season to give ACU four players with at least 200 kills.

Senior setter Lindsey Martin has 906 assists on the season, and her average of 13.32 assists per game tops the LSC and is No. 5 in NCAA Division II volleyball.