Box Score RAPID CITY, S.D. – Make it eight straight once again for the Western New Mexico University volleyball team as they took down South Dakota Mines, 3-1 (25-22, 25-12, 20-25, 25-20) in non-conference action Monday night.


SDM (6-17) held a 13-11 lead in the opening set and later held a 14-13 lead when WNMU (17-3) came back to tie the set on an error and took the lead on a kill by Alyssa Meihack (Fallon, NV/Churchill County High School). The Hardrockers would fight back to even the set at 17 when a 5-0 run put the Lady Mustangs in front for good. A kill by Bobbi Bayer (Granby, CO/Eddyville Blakesburg ) started the run and around three SDM errors, Angelina Pulu (Long Beach, CA/Robert A. Millikan High School) also tallied a kill. With WNMU in front, 24-22, a long rally finally went the way of the Lady Mustangs when Pulu posted a kill for the 25-22 set win.


WNMU jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the second set when Keirsa Pakani-Tsukiyama (Hilo, HI/Waiakea) spun in an ace. The lead stretched to eight at 13-5 when Meihack ended a long rally with a quick kill. WNMU led by as much as 12 when Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) delivered a kill on a pass from Meihack for the 21-9 advantage. Bayer closed the set with a kill for the 25-12 set win and 2-0 match lead.


The Lady Mustangs controlled the third set early on with Kaysee Pilgrim (Phoenix, AZ/Barry Goldwater) recording a kill for the 6-3 lead. SDM would come back strong, opening up a six-point lead at 18-12. The Lady Mustangs would get as close as three at 21-18 on a ball handling error, but that would be as close as they would get with the Hardrockers taking the set, 25-20.


The teams went back-and-forth in the fourth set, as after yet another tie at 16, WNMU began to pull away thanks to a 5-0 run. Pulu started the run with a kill, then Seluia "Ria" Falealili (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly) and Rich combined for a block, Rich then teamed with Pulu for a block and after an attack error, Falealili and Rich capped the run with a double-block for the 21-16 lead. WNMU wasn't threatened the rest of the set as Bayer ended the match with a kill for the 25-20 set win and 3-1 match victory.


WNMU hit .289 on the night, posting 61 kills to 18 errors in 149 chances. Pulu hit well on the night, as she recorded 19 kills to just five errors in 46 swings for a .304 hitting percentage. She also led the team in digs with 16. Rich reached double-digits in kills with 11, hitting .647 on the night as she had no errors in 17 total chances. Meihack accounted for 52 of the 54 assists. Reyna Acosta (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) (14), Pakani-Tsukiyama (11), Kassie Kagawa (Hilo, HI/Waiakea High School) (11) and Chyler Imai (Kapaau, HI/Kohala) (10) all had double-digits in digs. WNMU had 13 blocks as a team led by seven block assists each from Pilgrim and Falealili.


This is the second eight-match winning streak of the season for the Lady Mustangs as they will put that streak on the line this Thursday when they will return to RMAC play at Colorado Christian with gametime set for 7 p.m. in Lakewood.