SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team started off with a 6-0 lead and never looked back on their way to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19) victory over Colorado Mesa University Saturday night at Drags Court in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.


WNMU (9-6, 5-2 RMAC) started the first set strong scoring the first six points. Destiny Mebane opened the match with a kill on an assist by Alyssa Melhack. Two more kills followed, as Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) and Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) all took advantage of assists by Melhack to tally kills for a 3-0 lead. A pair of attack errors moved the lead to 5-0 before Mebane tallied a service ace for the 6-0 lead.


CMU (5-11, 1-6 RMAC) would come back to tie the first set at 12 before another Mustang run began.


Pulu posted a kill to start the rally, followed by a bad set error on the Mavericks to move the lead to 14-12.


The Mavericks continued to fight back, even taking the lead at 18-17 and again at 22-19.


A pair of attack errors by CMU opened the door for the Mustangs, with the second attack error going down as a block by Melhack and Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) to cut the deficit to one, 22-21.


Following a timeout by CMU, WNMU came through with another double block by Melhack and Rux tied the match at 22.


Two more attack errors by CMU pushed the first set to set point for WNMU in which they converted, as a third-straight attack error gave WNMU the 25-22 opening set win.


The second set remained close, with the teams tied at nine; CMU would boost their lead to 13-11 and again to 15-12 before WNMU would begin to make their move.


Taylor Henderson (Pocatello, ID/Century High School) started the rally with a kill and later kills by Rux and Pulu tied the set at 17.


After the set was tied again at 18, a pair of errors by the Mavs boosted the WNMU lead to 20-18.


Melhack then delivered an ace and after Pulu and Jordan Johnston (Boise, ID/Centennial High School) combined on a block, the gap spread to four at 22-18.


Johnston would team with Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) for another block on the next point, which was followed by a kill from Pulu to put the Mustangs at set point, 24-18.


CMU would post a kill before an attack error by the Mavericks gave the second set to WNMU, 25-19.


WNMU opened the third set strong, jumping out to a 10-4 lead, as an attack error by the Mavericks prompted a timeout by CMU.


CMU would come back to within two, 13-11, before a pair of points on an attack error and a service ace by Melhack gave WNMU a 15-11 lead.


CMU would get back to within two, 20-18, before the Mustangs came through with two points, one on a kill by Pulu and the other on an attack error to leave WNMU just three points away from the set at 22-18.


WNMU would block their way to victory over the final two points, as Johnston and Pulu combined on a block to push the score to 24-19 and then a block by Johnston and Verhulsdonk sealed the victory, 25-19.


Pulu led the team again in kills with 10, while she also added seven digs.


Rux added eight kills and four blocks (one solo), while Verhulsdonk posted seven kills and three blocks (one solo).


Melhack again led the way in assists with 26, while Destiny Mebane led the team with nine digs.


WNMU will be on the road for the next couple of weeks as they will play at New Mexico Highlands on Thursday, October 6 in Santa Fe beginning at 7 p.m.