ARLINGTON, Texas - Abilene Christian volleyball's
Rachel Koss and
Brennan Ramirez were each recognized by the Western Athletic Conference on Tuesday for their performances over the past week. Koss was named the Jersey Mike's A Sub Above WAC Setter of the Week, while Ramirez earned WAC Libero of the Week honors.
It marks the second time this season that Ramirez, a redshirt freshman, has received the weekly distinction, while Koss, a junior, garnered the conference accolade for the first time in her career. The players led the Wildcats to a 2-2 week with a pair of sweeps over Texas Southern and Cal State Fullerton at the Lamar Invitational.
Koss started each of ACU's four matches and competed in all 14 sets, tallying 159 assists with 11.36 assists per set, pacing the conference by nearly 3.00 assists. She recorded 36 and 37 assists against Texas Southern and Cal State Fullerton, respectively, before a historic 60-assist outing versus East Texas A&M on Monday.
Koss' 60 assists are the most in a match in the program's Division I era and the most by a WAC setter this season. She surpassed her previous career high of 57 set against Sam Houston on Sept. 5. Koss' 37 assists versus the Titans are the most in the conference in a three-set match this year. Four of the WAC's five individual outings with the most assists are owned by Koss.
The Wildcats totaled 72 assists against the Lions, good for the second-most in a match in the DI era. Koss led ACU in assists in all four matches and added 34 digs with two service aces and four total blocks for 10.0 points. She notched double-doubles versus Lamar and East Texas A&M with 11 digs in each match.
Ramirez also stuffed the stat sheet against the Lions, collecting a career-high 29 digs for the seventh-most in a five-set match in DI team history. The Wildcats' 95 digs are tied for the second-most in a match in the DI era. Ramirez totaled 75 digs over the course of the week, good for 5.36 digs per set while appearing in each period.
Ramirez's 29 digs versus East Texas A&M are the second-most in the WAC this year. She picked up a pair of service aces versus the Tigers and Titans while notching seven of her week's 19 assists against Lamar. Ramirez led ACU or tied for the lead in digs in all four matches.
The Wildcats begin conference play on the road this week, taking on Utah Valley at 7 p.m. Thursday at Behnken Field House on the campus of Westminster University in Salt Lake City. ACU continues west to meet California Baptist at Van Dyne Gym at 3 p.m. Saturday.
