KINGSVILLE/LAREDO, Texas – The road trip continues for the Western New Mexico University volleyball team as they open Lone Star Conference play this Friday at Texas A&M-Kingsville. They will finish the week with a doubleheader on Saturday against non-conference opponents Texas A&M International and St. Edward's.

The Lady Mustangs are 6-3 following trips to California and Utah. WNMU is riding a two-match winning streak after sweeping both Texas A&M International and Westminster. WNMU is hitting .238 as a team and hold opponents to a .181 average.

Junior Heather Verrill (Barstow, CA/Barstow ) leads the team in kills with 97 and is also near the top in blocks with 25. Senior Shannon Rich (Folsom, CA/Folsom) leads the team in blocks with 35 and is second in kills with 65. Junior Morgan Lyneis (Victorville, CA/Apple Valley) is tied with Rich in kills, while junior Kalie Lyle (Phoenix, AZ/Sandra Day O' Connor ) is right behind with 61. Junior Melanie Hughes (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.) (160) and freshman Cristal Carrizoza (Phoenix, AZ/North) (128) pace the offense in assists. On defense, junior Ashley Mataele (Laie, HI/Kahuku) has 131 digs, with Hughes second with 65. In addition to the blocks by Verrill and Rich, junior Samantha Haupeakui (San Mateo, CA/Aragon) has 29.

Several rank high in the conference with Hughes eighth in aces per set (0.44), Rich third in blocks per set (1.09), Haupeakui sixth (1.04), Mataele eighth in digs per set (4.09), Verrill eighth in hitting percentage (.327), Hughes fifth in service aces (14), Mataele is nith with 12, Hughes is ninth in total assists, Rich is third in total blocks, Haupeakui is seventh and Verrill is 10^th, while Mataele is seventh in total digs. Rich is ranked high nationally in total blocks coming in 23^rd.

First up on Friday at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time will be a matchup with Texas A&M-Kingsville in the conference opener for both teams. The Javelinas are 8-1 so far this season with their only loss to nationally ranked Wayne State.

Krystal Faison leads the team in kills with 111, while Casey Klobedans is the top setter piling up 339 assists. On defense, Krystal Puente has 127 digs and Faison adds 120. Haley Hutchinson leads in blocks with 37. As a team they hit .231 and hold opponents to a .151 clip.

On Saturday, WNMU will play St. Edward's at 2:30 p.m. and then Texas A&M International at 5 p.m. (both matches are Central Standard Time and will be played in Laredo).

The Lady Mustangs just faced the Dustdevils this past tournament and rolled to a 3-0 sweep. Texas A&M International is 0-8 so far this season. They are hitting .058 as a team, while opponents check-in with a .237 clip.

Ramey Gardner leads the offense with 69 kills, while Victoria Zamora adds 106 assists and Alexis Villa has 93. On defense, Alejandra Bustamante has 96 digs, while Samantha Gonzalez and Nadiah Fry have 12 blocks apiece.

The Lady Mustangs conclude the weekend against St. Edward's. The Hilltoppers are 2-6 so far this season with wins over South Dakota Mines and Midwestern State. St. Edward's is hitting .111 as a team, while opponents are .161.
Alexa McAndrew leads the team in kills with 70, while Avalon Frantz leads in assists with 136. On defense, Morgan Beckham has 120 digs and Mikayla Parker leads in blocks with 33.

Live video and stats will be available for all three matches and information will be posted on the website.