PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team faced another tough opponent Tuesday night when they faced No. 24 Grand Canyon and fell to the Lopes in three sets (15-25, 22-25, 12-25) to finish off their six games around the Phoenix area. They will now make the trip to Alaska.


WNMU (1-5) opened the match with a kill by Alyssa Meihack (Fallon, NV/Churchill County High School) and later opened a 4-2 lead on a kill by Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy). GCU (5-0) reeled off the next four points to hold the lead until WNMU came back to tie things at 10 on a kill by Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School). Pulu added a service ace a few points later to help the Lady Mustangs regain the lead at 13-12. The Lopes answered by closing the set on an 13-2 run to take a 25-15 first set win.


The Lady Mustangs had a similar start to set two, opening a 4-2 lead on a kill this time by Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School). The teams would go back-and-forth including being tied at 12 and again at 13. GCU looked to be running away with the set at 19-16, but the Lady Mustangs came back with a kill by Pulu and then an attack error moved WNMU within one, 19-18. GCU rebounded just like they did in the first set going on a 5-0 run to move one-point away from the set. WNMU still had fight left, posting four points, with two coming on aces by Destiney Mebane (Upland, CA/Etiwanda High School) to make it a 24-22 set before the Lopes tallied the next point to take a 25-22 set win and 2-0 lead.


GCU started the third set with a 6-1 lead and would hold the lead the rest of the way. The Lady Mustangs were within three at 7-4 on a kill by Verhulsdonk, but that would be as close as they would get with the Lopes racing out to the 25-12 set win and 3-0 match win.


Pulu was the only Lady Mustang in double-digit kills with 13, while she also led the team in digs with 12. Meihack posted 22 assists.


WNMU will now head to Anchorage to open play in the University-Alaska Anchorage Invite where they will face Adelphi out of New York in their first match on Friday at 1 p.m. Mountain. They will later face Dixie State College out of Utah at 7 p.m. that same night.



      Western New Mexico vs #24 Grand Canyon (Sep 04, 2012 at Phoenix, AZ)
 
  Grand Canyon def. Western New Mexico 25-15,25-22,25-12
 
  Western New Mexico (1-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) 13-1-0;
  Ziona Verhulsdonk (Kailua, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) 9-0-1; Seluia Falealili 4-1-0; Heather Rux (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union High School) 4-0-2;
  Destiney Mebane (Upland, CA/Etiwanda High School) 1-2-0; Shelly Wermuth 1-0-0; Alyssa Meihack (Fallon, NV/Churchill County High School) 1-1-0;
  Totals 33-5-2.0. (Assists) - Alyssa Meihack (Fallon, NV/Churchill County High School) 22. (Dig leaders) -
  Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) 12; Destiney Mebane (Upland, CA/Etiwanda High School) 5
 
  Grand Canyon (5-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Friemoth, Hayleigh 9-0-0;
  Taylor, Shelby 8-0-2; Muys, Lanie 8-3-3; Davis, Megan 6-1-1; Giles,
  Janae 6-0-0; Preach, Kristen 4-1-3; McDowell, Sydney 3-0-0; Ausmus,
  Kaitlynn 2-0-0; Totals 46-5-5.0. (Assists) - Preach, Kristen 35. (Dig
  leaders) - Phelps, Mackenzie 15; Friemoth, Hayleigh 7
 
  Site: Phoenix, AZ (Antelope Gymnasium)
  Date: Sep 04, 2012   Attend: 212   Time: 1:20   
  Referees: