ODESSA, Texas – The road trip ended on a high note for the Western New Mexico University volleyball team as they cruised to a 3-0 sweep of UT Permian Basin (25-16, 25-17, 25-16) Saturday afternoon in Lone Star Conference action.

WNMU (11-6, 3-3 LSC) hit .268 and also utilized seven service aces and eight blocks to take home the victory.

Junior Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) drilled 11 kills, while junior Samantha Haupeakui (San Mateo, CA/Aragon) sent back six blocks.

UTPB (5-11, 1-6 LSC) had the start they wanted jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first set. Junior Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) helped WNMU find traction with a service ace to help start a 3-0 spurt. A pair of bad sets followed to tie the set at six. Holding just a 15-13 lead, the Lady Mustangs began to pull away with Haupeakui, senior Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) and junior Kalie Lyle (Phoenix, AZ/Sandra Day O' Connor ) combining for the triple-block. Hughes then spun in another service ace and after Rich and Verrill added kills, redshirt junior Kelsey Marks (Cave Creek, AZ/Cactus Shadow) had her own service ace to move the lead to 21-14. Just two points away at 23-16, an attack error and ball handling error did in the Falcons to give WNMU the 25-16 set win.

The second set was a much better start for WNMU, as they moved ahead 4-0. Haupeakui and Lyle tallied kills, around two errors by UTPB. With the lead at 14-10, Haupeakui, Rich and junior Ashley Mataele (Laie, HI/Kahuku) recorded points to push the lead to seven at 17-10. The Lady Mustangs were never really threatened the rest of the way, with Haupeakui and freshman Hannah Tishlarich (Elk Grove, CA/Pleasant Grove) combining for the block to end the set at 25-17.

Trailing 3-1 early in the third, Haupeakui posted three kills and a service ace from Mataele completed a quick 4-0 run for the 5-3 lead. That run was just the start of things to come. Holding a slight 6-5 lead, an attack error by the Falcons opened the door for a 7-0 WNMU run to put the set and match out of reach. Rich and Verrill had points during the stretch, while UTPB committed four errors leaving WNMU with the 13-5 lead. After a Mataele service ace at 20-11, the final five points for WNMU would all come from UTPB errors to give them the set and the match at 25-16.

Not only did Verrill lead the team in kills with 11, she hit .588 with just one error in 17 swings. Haupeakui added seven kills. Hughes had 15 assists, while several had multiple service aces including Mataele with three and both Marks and Hughes with two apiece. Mataele had 12 digs and in addition to Haupeakui's six blocks, Tishlarich and Rich added four apiece.

Rachel Dixon led UTPB with six kills and hit .500 with no errors. Margje Damstra added four blocks.

WNMU will return home this come week as they will host Texas Woman's on Friday night and then Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday with both schedule to start at 6 p.m.