SAN ANTONIO- University of the Incarnate Word's volleyball team had their backs against the wall Thursday night and made an electrifying comeback to beat Abilene Christian, 3-2.
NOTABLES
- The Cardinals were down two sets to one and were able to force a fifth set. In the fifth set, UIW was down 11-4 at one point to make the unlikely comeback.
- Julia Monday set a career-high with 24 kills in the match. Every time the Wildcats made a run, Monday was there with an answer.
- Freshman Christina Roofe stepped in and played huge in big moments as she had a career-high five kills on a ridiculous .714 attack percentage while also playing great defense with two blocks (one solo and two assists).
- Allison Waits had one of her best games as a Cardinal as she totaled a season-high 11 kills and career-high five digs.
- The Wildcats had a great defensive game as they totaled 17 blocks (all assisted) but the Cardinals were able to find the gaps when they needed to.
- On the defensive side, Pilar Gonzaba and Alyssa Carlin both contributed 18 digs while Carissa McGarity had two blocks (one solo and two assists).
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (26-24) | In a back-and-forth set that saw four lead changes and 11 ties, the Cardinals were able to prevail in the opening set. Down 24-22, UIW had no choice but to scratch and claw its way back. Clapp took on the challenge as her serves gave ACU trouble and set the Cardinals up to be on the attack. With kills from Monday, Waits and Gray to go along with an ace from Clapp, UIW battled all the way back to win four straight points to take the set.
SET 2 (24-26) AND SET 3 (17-25) | The Wildcats weren't pleased with dropping the first set as they came back and won the next two sets. The second set was a close battle that almost saw another great comeback from the Cardinals. The team was down 16-10 before bringing it to 24-24 but came up just short.
SET 4 (25-17) | Carissa McGarity and Christina Roofe highlighted a dominate set by the Cardinals as Roofe totaled four kills and two blocks (one solo and two assists) while McGarity also had two blocks (one solo and two assists) and notched two kills. UIW was in control from the start as Presley Blaylock led off the set with an ace. The Cardinals had an incredible .423 team attack percentage in this set.
SET 5 (15-13) | One of the most exciting sets all season that saw the Cardinals once again have a flare for the dramatic. Down 11-4 at one point in the set, the team was able to stick around to keep it in arms reach at 13-8. That's when Clapp served up two aces to get the McDermott Center riled up. Monday capped of her career night with two kills; one of which was the match winning kill. UIW scored seven straight points as they looked defeat in the eyes and said not tonight.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals host their home finale and senior day against the top team in the Southland, Stephen F. Austin. The game will be played at noon.
SENIOR DAY
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