DURANGO, Colo. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team fought through an early one-all set tie to take the final two sets to defeat Fort Lewis, 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18) Saturday night in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.


WNMU (14-11, 10-6 RMAC) opened up a 5-0 lead in the first set, behind kills from Jordan Johnston (Boise, ID/Centennial High School) and Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) and three errors by FLC (5-19, 2-14 RMAC).


The Mustangs would push the lead to seven, 14-7, following an attack error by the Skyhawks.


FLC would get as close as two, 18-16, but WNMU answered with the next three points. During the run, Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) posted a kill and service ace before an attack error by the Skyhawks for the five-point advantage.


Johnston closed the set with a kill that went down as a block error on the Skyhawks to take the set, 25-18.


FLC stormed out in the second set to a 7-3 lead, prompting a Mustang timeout.


FLC would hold the lead all the way to 14-13 when WNMU fought back to tie the set on a kill by Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy).


That would be the last tie of the set, as the Skyhawks scored the next three points and never looked back taking the set, 25-21.


WNMU came out ready in the third set, opening a 5-1 lead with Verhulsdonk tallying two kills and one each from Johnston and Pulu around a Skyhawk error for the four-point advantage.


The Mustangs pushed the lead to seven, 14-7, on a kill by Verhulsdonk.


After a kill by Pulu, an attack error by FLC gave the Mustangs a nine-point lead, 20-11, prompting a FLC timeout.


The Skyhawks fought back to within three, 23-20, before the Mustangs came away with the final two points from Pulu and Verhulsdonk off kills to take the set, 25-20.


The fourth set was close early on, as the teams were tied at seven, before WNMU would end up taking eight of the next nine points for a 15-8 lead.


During the stretch, Pulu added two kills, one each from Rux, Verhulsdonk and Alyssa Meihack (Fallon, NV/Churchill County High School) and a double-block by Taylor Henderson (Pocatello, ID/Century High School) and Rux around two Skyhawk errors.


FLC would come back to within four one last time at 20-16 before the Mustangs would put the game away.


Four-straight points went to WNMU, with Verhulsdonk pounding a kill, two errors by the Skyhawks and then a kill by Pulu to make it 24-16.


Following two Skyhawk points, Henderson came away with a block to end the set and the match, 25-18.


Verhulsdonk led the way with 18 kills, while Pulu added 17 more. Rux had nine and Johnston eight as the Mustangs had 59 as a team to 19 errors.


Meihack tallied 46 of the 52 assists, while she also had the second-highest digs with 13, as Verhulsdonk led the team with 14.
Henderson led the team in blocks with five, including two solo, as the Mustangs had six as a team.


With the win, the Mustangs are still tied for the top spot in the RMAC West Division along with Adams State, as the Grizzlies defeated CSU-Pueblo, 3-1, Saturday night.


The Mustangs will head home for the final two home games of the regular season starting Friday night when they will host CSU-Pueblo at 7 p.m. inside Drag's Court.

 
       Western New Mexico vs Fort Lewis (Oct 29, 2011 at Durango, Colo.)
 
  Western New Mexico def. Fort Lewis 25-18,21-25,25-20,25-18
 
  Western New Mexico (14-11, 10-6 RMAC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Ziona
  Verhulsdonk 18-0-0; Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) 17-0-1; Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) 9-1-3; Jordan
  Johnston 8-0-1; Taylor Henderson (Pocatello, ID/Century High School) 4-0-5; Alyssa Melhack 2-0-0; Marilee
  Frost 1-1-0; Totals 59-2-6.0. (Assists) - Alyssa Melhack 46. (Dig
  leaders) - Marilee Frost (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) 18; Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) 14; Alyssa Melhack 13;
  Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) 8
 
  Fort Lewis (5-19, 2-14 RMAC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Jessica Wilson
  19-0-0; Ashley Wells 17-0-0; Stephani Sonka 10-0-5; Taylor Frederking
  6-1-6; Gladymar Echeverria 5-0-4; Ciara Krening 0-0-2; Totals
  57-1-10.0. (Assists) - Ciara Krening 48. (Dig leaders) - Hannah
  Starbuck 25; Ashley Wells 12; Ciara Krening 9; Jessica Wilson 8
 
  Site: Durango, Colo. (Whalen Gymnasium)
  Date: Oct 29, 2011   Attend: 355   Time: 1:43   
  Referees: Nora Carter, Lisa Roberts