SILVER CITY, N.M. – With only four matches left in the regular season, every game is important from here on out for the Western New Mexico University volleyball team as they sit just a game out of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament spot.
This weekend the Lady Mustangs will host Fort Lewis College on Friday at 7 p.m. and then #13 Colorado Mesa University on Saturday also at 7 p.m. The Lady Mustangs will be wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It will also be senior night Saturday as WNMU will honor
Lauren Buseman (Eagar, AZ/Round Valley).
The Skyhawks are 6-16 and 3-11 in the RMAC so far and split their last two games pulling out a 3-2 win against Western State before a 0-3 setback against CSU-Pueblo. Four players have over 100 kills led by Ashley Wells' 256, she is also second on the team in digs with 256. Ciara Krening (362) and Heather Danny (240) lead the way in assists. Ally Dell'Amico has 427 digs, while Madi Bickle has 71 total blocks.
Back on Oct. 11 WNMU won in Durango, 3-1, coming back from a 21-25 loss in the opening set to pull away with 25-20, 25-18 and 25-23 set victories.
The next night will be a matchup with the nationally-ranked Mavericks. CMU is 20-3 overall and 13-1 in the RMAC and have won their last 11 matches. Since their last defeat on Sep. 25 in five sets at Metro State, the Lady Mustangs have come the closest to defeating CMU going five sets back on Oct. 10 in Grand Junction. WNMU is the only team so far this season to take the Mavs to five sets at home. Of the six matches since WNMU and CMU matched up, the Mavericks have only lost one set, coming away with five sweeps.
Five players have at least 100 kills with Melissa Hess (267), Abby Ney (221), Audrey Steinkirchner (218) and Casey Ball (206) all over 200. Jordyn Moody has 932 assists. On defense, six players have over 100 digs led by Tiffany Petersen's 392. Ney leads the team in blocking going for 76.
WNMU (9-12, 6-8 RMAC) has won three straight with the last two coming in sweeps.
Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) leads four Lady Mustangs with over 100 kills with 187.
Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ), the reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week has 165, followed by 143 by
Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) and 129 by
Sheila Menezes (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Escola Estadual Prof. Antonio Ablas Filho).
Kylie Fraga (Kennewick, WA/Southridge) has 406 assists to 241 for
Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.). On defense,
Barbara Soranzo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil/Mestre Santa Barbara) has 241 digs, while Grap has 221. Verrill has 96 blocks, while Rich has 83.
WNMU is one of the top blocking teams in the nation ranking 12
th with 2.41 blocks per set and 27
th in total blocks with 198. Verrill is 27
th nationally in blocks with 96 and 23
rd in blocks per set (1.17).
WNMU is just two games back of fifth in the conference, 1.5 back of sixth and one game back of seventh as Adams State and Black Hills are tied for seventh.
Live stats and video will be available for both games.
