SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team split the first two sets before taking the final two on their way to a 3-1 victory over Fort Lewis College Friday night at Drags Court in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.


WNMU (8-6, 4-2 RMAC) started the first set strong, racing out to a 12-7 lead, as Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) had a string of five kills to help fuel the strong start.


After FLC (3-11, 0-6 RMAC) posted a point to make it 17-9, WNMU rolled the next six points, starting with a kill by Jordan Johnston (Boise, ID/Centennial High School) and another by Taylor Henderson (Pocatello, ID/Century High School) to boost the advantage to ten. After a service ace by Marilee Frost (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School), Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) tallied a kill and then Verhulsdonk teamed with Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) for a block to move the lead to 23-9. After the teams would trade a few points, Malayzha Dinkins (Corona, CA/Santiago High School) came through with a service ace to give WNMU the set, 25-12.


The Skyhawks opened the second set with an 11-7 lead before WNMU battled back, helped by a service error and a ball handling error to trim the deficit to two. After FLC posted the next point, an attack error by Fort Lewis and a kill by Dinkins cut the deficit to one, 12-11. An attack error by the Skyhawks tied the set before an ace by Pulu put the Mustangs in front, 13-12.


WNMU would push the lead as high as three, 17-14, on a ball handling error by the Skyhawks.


WNMU looked to have a grasp on the set after Verhulsdonk came away with a kill to make it 22-20 Mustangs, but FLC refused to go away.


The Skyhawks fought back to tie it at 23, before winning the set, 25-23, on an attack error by the Mustangs to tie the match at one set each.


WNMU raced out of the gates on fire, jumping out to an 11-4 advantage. Rux, Johnston and Pulu all posted big kills during the stretch to open the big lead.


The Mustangs would expand the lead to 19-12 on a kill by Verhulsdonk, before FLC would claw back to within two, 23-21 and again at 24-23 before Rux sealed the set with a kill from Alyssa Melhack for the 25-23 set victory and a two sets to one lead.
FLC opened strong in the fourth set, holding a 10-7 lead before WNMU came back to tie it with three straight points, helped by two errors and a kill by Pulu to tie it at ten.


With the set tied at 13, Pulu came alive with a pair of kills, before Verhulsdonk and Johnston added kills to push the lead to four, 17-13.


FLC would get back to within one, 21-20, before Verhulsdonk and Rux came away with kills for a 23-20 lead. The Skyhawks tallied the next point, which would be their last of the night, as WNMU scored the final two points on a kill by Rux and an attack error by FLC for the 25-21 set victory and three sets to one match win.


WNMU attacked well in the first set, hitting at over .500 percent, connecting on 16 kills and just two errors in 27 total attacks.
Pulu led the way with 22 kills, followed by Rux with 15 and Verhulsdonk with 13. Melhack dished out the assists with 53. Five Mustangs had 10 or more digs, with Frost leading the way with 18, followed by Destiny Mebane (13), Melhack (12), Kassie Kagawa (Hilo, HI/Waiakea High School) (12) and Pulu (11).


WNMU will be back in action Saturday night against Colorado Mesa with the first serve set for 7 p.m. at Drags Court.