Box Score SILVER CITY, N.M. – After a slow start, the Western New Mexico University volleyball team found themselves in the final three sets to comeback and defeat Fort Lewis College, 3-2, (23-25, 25-27, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10) Friday night in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.

In the opening set, FLC (6-17, 3-12 RMAC) took an early 14-8 advantage. WNMU (10-12, 7-8 RMAC) would begin to fight back with Kelli McGhiey (Pearl City, HI/Sacred Hearts Academy ) tallying a pair of kills around a service ace by Barbara Soranzo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil/Mestre Santa Barbara) to trim the deficit to one, 16-15. The Lady Mustangs would take a 20-19 lead after a kill by Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) and an attack error. The Skyhawks would come back strong with a 4-0 spurt to take a 23-20 lead. WNMU would follow with their own 3-0 run behind points from Grap, Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) and McGhiey to knot the set at 23. FLC, though, regrouped to take the next two points and the set, 25-23.

The Skyhawks controlled the early parts of the second set as well jumping out to a 12-8 lead. The lead would stretch to 17-12 before WNMU began making a comeback. Sheila Menezes (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Escola Estadual Prof. Antonio Ablas Filho) tallied a kill and then a double-block from Lauren Buseman (Eagar, AZ/Round Valley) and Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) tied the set at 18. WNMU would take a pair of one-point leads at 20-19 on an attack error and then at 21-20 on a kill by Buseman. The Lady Mustangs came close to claiming the set at 24-23 on a solo block by McGhiey, but the Skyhawks would close the set on a 4-1 run for the 27-25 set win and 2-0 match lead.

WNMU would then begin to heat up in the next several sets posting hitting percentages of .265, .314 and then .360 in the fifth for the comeback win.

In the third, it was all Lady Mustangs as they jumped out to a 10-5 lead. It would move to 14-7 on a kill by Verrill. Rich helped move WNMU a point away at 24-17 on a kill and later McGhiey closed the set with a kill of her own for the 25-19 set win to push the match to the fourth. WNMU held FLC to a .091 hitting percentage, their lowest of any set on the night.

It was close throughout most of the fourth set when the Lady Mustangs pulled away at 13-all. Buseman and McGhiey added kills around a service ace by Opal Drapeau (Denver, CO/Bishop Machebeuf Catholic ) to give WNMU a 16-13. The run would continue with a double-block by Rich and McGhiey and kills by Grap, McGhiey and Rich to cap the 7-0 spurt. The Lady Mustangs rode that momentum into grabbing the set as Verrill tallied a kill for the 25-20 set win to send the match to a decisive fifth. WNMU held a plus-five advantage in kills during the set.

In the final set, it was tied at seven when Menezes and McGhiey collected kills around an attack error by FLC for the 10-7 lead. The Lady Mustangs wouldn't look back as McGhiey and Menezes moved WNMU to match point at 14-9 and after a Skyhawk point, Menezes closed her team-high 16 kill night with another one for the 15-10 set win and 3-2 match victory.

Menezes led four Lady Mustangs with double-digits kills, followed by 14 from McGhiey, 12 from Rich and 10 from Grap. McGhiey posted a .448 hitting percentage and Rich added a .429 percentage. Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) and Drapeau setup the offense combining for 53 assists with Hughes tallying 32. Five Lady Mustangs had at least 11 digs led by 15 each from Menezes and Grap. Soranzo and Chyler Imai (Kapaau, HI/Kohala) added 13 apiece, while Drapeau had 11. The Lady Mustangs had 12 team blocks led by six block assists from Rich.

Ashley Wells led FLC and all players with 22 kills, she also added 22 digs. 

With the win, WNMU is now tied with both Adams State and Black Hills State for seventh in the conference with 7-8 marks. They remain 1.5 games back of CSU-Pueblo for fifth and a game back of Colorado Christian for sixth.

WNMU will host #13 Colorado Mesa Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Mavericks tallied a straight set victory earlier tonight against New Mexico Highlands.