This season was a roller coaster ride for the Wildcats. It was full of ups and downs and included magnificent play as well as less than stellar performances.
“The last three matches of the season were fun,” said head coach Kellen Mock. “But there has been some frustration this year with not being able to put a match away.”
“We did a good job of fighting through controversies this year,” said freshman libero Madison Hoover.
“The freshman got a lot of experience. We can only go up from here.”
The ‘Cats ended their final D-II and Lone Star Conference season before Thanksgiving when they were swept by No. 9 West Texas A&M University at the LSC Championship tournament in San Angelo.
Mock wanted the girls to step off the court with pride.
“I wanted the girls to step off the court for the very last time being proud of how we played,” she said. “As tough as this season was, we felt that way when it was over. It wasn’t our best match of the year but we did some really good things. They played with confidence.”
ACU finished the year at 12-19 overall and 8-12 in the conference. It is Coach Mock’s first losing season since she took over the program in the spring of 2006.
Mock and Hoover both agreed that the highlight of 2012 was the emotional upset victory over No. 8 WT in Moody Coliseum.
“That was the most fun we had together,” Hoover said. “That win showed our fans the amount of fight we have in us.”
The squad was mainly comprised of freshmen and sophomores and included only one senior, right side hitter Kalynne Allen. The younger girls were forced to play a major role on the team as soon as the year began due to a combination of injuries throughout the season and the overall youth of the ‘Cats.
“You never plan to start that many underclassmen but that’s the way our game shaped up this year,” Mock said.”
Juniors Neely Borger and Madelyn Robinett, sophomore Haley Rhoads and freshman Jennie Loerch all had to battle injuries at different points in the season.
“This was by far the worst I’ve ever been bitten with the injury bug,” Mock said.
Despite all the roadblocks, the younger girls handled their responsibilities like veterans. Loerch smashed over 200 kills this year, while middle blockers Sara Oxford and Corrie Reeder had 137 combined blocks to go along with 612.5 points.
Setter Sarah Siemens was named the LSC Freshman of the Year which was the only award given to a freshman in the entire conference. She averaged 10.6 assists per set and ended the season with 1,123. Hoover was ranked sixth in the league in digs per set with 5.01. She put up the fourth highest single-season dig total in ACU history (541).
“It was fun to push myself and set some records,” Hoover said. “I got a completely new look at a side of volleyball I wasn’t used to.”
Mock said Hoover’s performance flew under the radar this year.
“Maddie Hoover was one of the unsung heroes of this team,” she said. “She deserves one of the highest levels of recognition. She put up a very similar season to what Kelsie Edwards did last year.”
