SILVER CITY, N.M./ALAMOSA, Colo. – Down to just six matches left in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season, the Western New Mexico University volleyball team will play a pair of important games against New Mexico Highlands University and Adams State University this week.

First up on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. the Lady Mustangs will host in-state rival New Mexico Highlands. The Cowgirls took the earlier meeting this season, 3-0, although the final two sets went down to the wire by scores of 25-23. Since that victory, NMHU has gone 4-2 (3-2 RMAC) to move just a game out of a RMAC Tournament spot. They hold a 10-12 overall record and 5-7 mark in conference action.

Alicia Moreno leads the offensive attack with 214 kills, while three others also have over 100 kills. Shayli Schulz has 341 assists, Jessica Piper leads four players with over 100 digs tallying 320, while in terms of blocks, Tianna Matthews has 59. They are on a two-match winning streak with home victories over Western State and CSU-Pueblo.

Later in the week on Friday night at 7 p.m. WNMU will travel to Alamosa to face Adams State. The Lady Mustangs took the earlier meeting in Silver City, 3-1. The Grizzlies are 12-9 overall and 6-6 in the RMAC as they split their last two RMAC matches escaping Durango with a 3-2 win over Fort Lewis before falling to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa in three. They played South Dakota Mines in non-conference action Tuesday recording a 3-0 victory.

Lindsey Stindt continues to lead the way with 274 kills, as ASU also has three other players with over 100 kills. Katelyn Schwartz far and away leads the team in assists with 739. Gabrielle Timmen leads the team with 266 digs as three other players have over 100 on the season. Mallory Grimsrud has sent back 85 attacks and leads the team in blocks.

WNMU split their matches this past weekend falling to CSU-Pueblo in four before defeating Western State the next night in five. The Lady Mustangs are 7-12 overall and 4-8 in the RMAC. Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) leads the offense with 172 kills. Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) adds 147, while Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) (136) and Sheila Menezes (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Escola Estadual Prof. Antonio Ablas Filho) (116) are over 100. Kylie Fraga (Kennewick, WA/Southridge) leads the team in assists with 378, followed by 206 from Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.). Four Lady Mustangs have over 100 digs led by 223 from Barbara Soranzo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil/Mestre Santa Barbara), Grap (203), Menezes (132) and Fraga (123) round out the group with over 100. Verrill and Rich power the team in blocks with Verrill going for 81 and Rich with 75.

The matches this week are big not only for WNMU, but the two teams they will be facing. Colorado Mines, Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver lead the conference with 11-1 marks, while Regis is in fourth at 9-3. Black Hills State is in fifth at 7-6 and then three teams are tied for sixth at 6-6 in Colorado Christian, Adams State and CSU-Pueblo. New Mexico Highlands and UC-Colorado Springs are tied for ninth at 5-7 followed by WNMU in 11^th with a 4-8 mark. The top eight teams advance to the RMAC Tournament.

Live stats and video will be available for both matches.