Badgers defeat Thunderbirds at home for second consecutive season

On the heels of a hard-fought loss at Clarendon College, Oct. 11, the Badgers faced a near must-win scenario entering Wednesday's home match against New Mexico Junior College.

AC responded from their loss to the Thunderbirds three weeks ago and kept their postseason hopes alive as a result with a convincing four-set victory (25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 25-11) at the FirstBank Southwest Center.

In the first set, the Badgers rallied from a 17-14 deficit to secure early momentum. Freshman Sam Cardona recorded two kills and two blocks during the final stages of set one.

Galligan broke a 23-23 tie from the left side of the net, vaulting AC to a first-set victory.

With the score at 21-20 in set two, a Yuna NG kill and Emery Bryan ace gave the Badgers a 23-20 advantage. NG added a block, which was followed by an NMJC over-the-net call to conclude the second frame.

The Badgers dished out nine aces compared to just two service errors and improved their passer rating from 1.87 against Clarendon to 2.11 versus New Mexico JC.

The victory was the first of the season for AC when hitting below a .100 clip (.096).

Delany Galligan had a team-high 13 kills on 41 swings while Jaelynn Jackson (.308 clip) and Chayse Wilson (.500 clip) were the most efficient hitters of the evening.

AC claimed sole possession of the fourth and final playoff spot with Wednesday's victory against NMJC.