ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Western New Mexico University volleyball team appeared ready to win the match in four sets, but after the Adams State University Grizzlies rallied to force a fifth, the teams went back-and-forth before the Lady Mustangs pulled out the tight 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 17-15) victory Saturday in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.

With the win, Head Coach Jim Callender is just one win shy of 700 in his career moving to 699.

WNMU, now 18-7 overall and 13-4 in RMAC play, are tied for third in the conference standings. Colorado Mines won a five-set battle against Colorado Mesa to remain in first and clinch a share of the RMAC regular season title. MSU Denver won and is in sole possession of second place. WNMU is tied with Colorado Mesa and Regis for third. The Lady Mustangs will be no lower than the fifth seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

The Lady Mustangs received another big offensive night from four players who posted double-digit kills. Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) led the way with 20, while Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) added 14 and hit .583, Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) with 12 and Morgan Lyneis (Victorville, CA/Apple Valley) with 10 and hit .320.

ASU (9-16, 8-9 RMAC) came out ready in the first set moving out to a 12-7 lead. WNMU didn't go away as they kept chipping away. Trailing 20-17, Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) posted a kill to send WNMU on a 4-0 run as Hughes then spun in a service ace, Grap tallied a kill and Hughes another kill for the 21-20 lead. The Grizzlies then flipped the script scoring five of the next six points to take the set at 25-22.

WNMU controlled the second set early on holding a 13-9 lead with a solo block by Rich that moved the Lady Mustangs to the four-point spread. ASU would make one last charge at WNMU to get back to within three a couple of times with the last coming at 21-18 when the Lady Mustangs would begin to put the set away. Rich and Lyneis delivered a pair of kills before Lyneis came through with another kill to move to set point and an ASU attack error gave WNMU the 25-19 second set win.

The third set was all Lady Mustangs as they hit .407 in the frame with 13 kills to just two errors. Holding just a slim 7-6 lead, WNMU exploded going on a 7-1 run to open a 14-7 advantage. Verrill got things going during the run with a pair of kills, while Grap added one as well and a solo block by Rich around some Grizzly errors stretched the lead to seven. Verrill, Grap and a service ace by Barbara Soranzo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil/Mestre Santa Barbara) helped seal the set over the final few points as WNMU cruised to the 25-14 set win.

With momentum resting with the Lady Mustangs, it didn't take long for the Grizzlies to jump ahead in the fourth set as they held a 7-3 lead. ASU would hold the lead until Verrill tallied a kill and a pair of Grizzly errors moved WNMU ahead at 18-17. With the set tied at 22, ASU was able to come through with the key points, a pair of kills and a solo block to win the set at 25-23 and move the match to a decisive fifth.

WNMU broke out early in the fifth posting a 9-7 lead on a kill by Hughes as WNMU strung together a quick 4-0 run with Verrill adding a pair of kills and one from Grap. Out of a Grizzlies timeout, they responded to come back and tie and take the lead at 12-10. A big attack error by ASU on the next point helped open the door for WNMU and they took full advantage. Rich and Grap came through with kills to move WNMU ahead 13-12. Another ASU attack error out of a timeout had the Lady Mustangs at match point. The Grizzlies would fight off match point to score the next two points and tie the set at 14. The teams would tie one last time at 15 before WNMU made their move. Rich took over with a kill and then a solo block on Mallory Grimsrud gave the Lady Mustangs the 17-15 set win and 3-2 match victory.

Hughes set up the offense with 55 of the teams 62 assists. On defense Ashley Mataele (Laie, HI/Kahuku) had 27 digs, followed by 20 from Grap. Rich had three solo blocks as WNMU had four as a team.

Grimsrud led ASU in kills and blocks as she had 22 kills and nine blocks, eight solo.

WNMU hit .217 for the match (64-25-180) to a .141 clip for the Grizzlies (62-35-192).

WNMU will now return home for their final regular season match of the season this Saturday at 2 p.m. against in-state rival New Mexico Highlands. It will also be Senior Day for the four Lady Mustang seniors in Chyler Imai (Kapaau, HI/Kohala), Barbara Soranzo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil/Mestre Santa Barbara), Sheila Menezes (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Escola Estadual Prof. Antonio Ablas Filho) and Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy).