Rodrigo Almeida and Nicole Luna accepting their WNMU Student-Athlete of the Year awards." src="/common/controls/image_handler.aspx?thumb_id=13&image_path=/images/2014/9/18/DSC09258.jpg" data-saved-caption="undefined" />

Rodrigo Almeida and Nicole Luna accepting their WNMU Student-Athlete of the Year awards.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team fought back to take No. 16 Colorado School of Mines to a fourth set, but the Orediggers were too much to handle defeating the Lady Mustangs, 3-1, (25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 25-12), Thursday night in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

CSM (8-1, 1-0 RMAC) utilized a strong passing game from Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood and offensive power from Alanna Winfield and Megan Peterson to take the match. In the opening set, sophomore Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) helped pull WNMU (3-5, 0-1 RMAC) to within a point on a kill at 5-4. The Orediggers would collect the next five out of seven points for a 10-6 lead. Junior Sheila Menezes (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Escola Estadual Prof. Antonio Ablas Filho) would bring the Lady Mustangs as close as they would get the rest of the set at 12-9 on a kill from freshman Kylie Fraga (Kennewick, WA/Southridge). CSM would go on to hold the lead the rest of the set for a 25-19 victory.

The second set was similar early on, with the Orediggers jumping out to a 13-5 lead. The offensive attack and blocking helped fuel CSM in the set, as they would keep the solid advantage throughout to take the set, 25-15.

The Orediggers hit .308 (14 kills to six errors in 26 chances) during the set, their best hitting set of the night.

In the third, WNMU came out rolling jumping ahead 10-6 with Menezes tallying a kill and a double-block from Menezes and Rich to close the rally. Out of a CSM timeout, WNMU kept the pressure on, breaking open a 17-14 lead with points from Menezes and Rich, around an Oredigger error for a 20-14 lead. Junior Allison Lemnitzer (Phoenix, AZ/Valley Lutheran) gave the Lady Mustangs the set with a kill off an assist by freshman Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) for a 25-20 thid set victory.

WNMU hit .200 (12 kills to four errors in 40 chances) in the set, while limiting the Orediggers to just .023 (12 kills to 11 errors in 44 chances).

In the fourth, the Orediggers jumped out early 10-2. The Lady Mustangs would try to make a run, but each time CSM had the answer as they would go on to take the set, 25-12, and the match, 3-1.

Rich led WNMU with 10 kills, while also adding four blocks and two digs. Fraga dished out 19 assists. On defense, junior Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) posted 14 digs, while freshman Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) led the team in blocks with five.

Peterson led CSM in kills with 13, followed by 12 from Winfield. Johnson-Hazlewood dished out 36 assists.

WNMU will turn around and host Colorado Christian University Friday night at 7 p.m. inside Drag's Court. The Cougars fought off Fort Lewis to win in five in Durango earlier tonight.