SILVER CITY, N.M. – Coming off an exciting five-set win the night before, the Western New Mexico University volleyball team kept the momentum going Saturday night in defeating Western State Colorado University, 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-20), in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.

In the first set, the teams traded leads or were tied until 15-all when WNMU (7-3, 2-0 RMAC) broke through. Chyler Imai (Kapaau, HI/Kohala) began the run with a service ace and she would remain serving as the Lady Mustangs piled up five straight points. Kelli McGhiey (Pearl City, HI/Sacred Hearts Academy ) and Morgan Lyneis (Victorville, CA/Apple Valley) added kills around a pair of WSCU (2-10, 0-2 RMAC) errors to open a 20-15 lead. WNMU would hold the lead the rest of the set as Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) sealed it with a kill at 25-20.

The second set appeared to be the Lady Mustangs' until the Mountaineers came fighting back. Following a Leeta Grap (Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) service ace at 23-21, WSCU took a timeout and scored the next three points to move to set point at 24-23. Out of a WNMU timeout, the Lady Mustangs responded getting a double-block from Verrill and McGhiey to knot the set at 24. After the teams traded the lead and ties, Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) and Grap closed it with back-to-back kills for the 28-26 set win.

In the third, WNMU broke it open early as a Morgan Lyneis (Victorville, CA/Apple Valley) kill boosted WNMU in front from a 10-all tie. Grap then got loose for three straight kills to take a 14-10 lead. Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) and Verrill helped expand the lead to 19-12 combining for a double-block. WSCU rallied late in the match to get back to within four before Rich closed the set and the match with a kill at 25-20.

WNMU hit .239 (45-17-117), while holding WSCU to .162 (39-21-111). Grap led the way in kills with 11, while Verrill posted 10 and hit .643. Hughes dished out 23 assists, while Imai added 10. Ashley Mataele (Laie, HI/Kahuku) posted nine digs, while Imai added eight and in terms of blocks, Verrill had six, while Rich had four, with two being solo.

Jordan Eatwell led WSCU with 11 kills and Amanda Maestas tallied 20 digs.

WNMU will have a quick turnaround as they will play on Tuesday at in-state rival New Mexico Highlands beginning at 5 p.m.