SILVER CITY, N.M. — On Saturday at Drag's Court, Western New Mexico split on day two of the Mustang Invitational. In the first match, New Mexico Highlands (3-1, 0-0 RMAC) defeated Western New Mexico (1-2, 0-0 Lone Star) in a four-set match with scores of 25-20, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21. This marked the fourth consecutive victory for the Cowgirls against the Mustangs. In their second match of the day, Western New Mexico (2-2, 0-0 Lone Star) swept Eastern New Mexico (0-4, 0-0 Lone Star) 3-0 with set scores of 25-17, 25-19, and 25-20.

The Cowgirls tallied nine service aces to the Mustangs' four. Despite an early back-and-forth exchanges, the Cowgirls capitalized on a series of errors, leading to a decisive stretch where they pulled ahead 21-16. The Mustangs showed resilience with notable contributions from Jayden Hughes (High Rolls, NM/Cloudcroft High School) and Daphne Posthumus (Lelystad, Netherlands/CCNV Harderwijk (Netherlands)) but ultimately fell 25-20.

In the second set, the Mustangs gained momentum with a significant 5-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Kiara McDuffie (Aubrey, TX/Braswell High School), pushing the score to 7-3. Hannah Del Rio (Vacaville, CA/Will C. Wood High School) contributed crucial points with multiple kills, while Haggard provided key assists, helping the Mustangs secure a 25-22 victory.

The third set opened with Western establishing an early lead, highlighted by a kills from Salgado. Despite their fight, the Mustangs were edged out 26-24. The fourth set began with the Mustangs taking an early 3-0 lead, but the Cowgirls quickly countered and maintained the edge, concluding the set at 25-21. Aziza Morris led the Cowgirls with 16 kills, while Becca Wiersema excelled defensively with 21 digs.

WNMU vs ENMU
WNMU's second match of the day, was a 3-0 sweep against Eastern New Mexico (0-4, 0-0 Lone Star), with set scores of 25-17, 25-19, and 25-20. The Mustangs opened the first set with a commanding 8-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Posthumus. Haggard was instrumental in maintaining the lead, assisting on multiple kills, and the Mustangs closed the set 25-17, bolstered by strong defensive blocks by Brynlee Barris and Posthumus.

In the second set, Western overcame an early service error to gain a 6-2 lead, thanks to Mikelle McAfee's consistent play and contributions from Carley Deck (Tucson, AZ/Tanque Verde High School) and Barris. The Mustangs secured the set with a decisive block from Posthumus and Hailey Meeks, winning 25-19. 

The third set featured a tense back-and-forth battle, but Western rallied with consecutive kills from Meeks and Barris, eventually closing the set 25-20. Posthumus led the Mustangs with eight kills and six blocks, while Haggard orchestrated the offense with 21 assists and supported the back row with nine digs.

Overall, the Mustangs hold a record of 2-2. WNMU will head to Colorado Springs, CO, playing in the Mountain Lion Classic. The Mustangs will open up with Jamestown at 2:00pm and UC Colorado Springs at 7:00pm on September 12th, 2025.

 Mustang Invitational All-Tournament Team
MVP - #20 Ella Butler, Senior, Middle Hitter (Ft. Lewis)
#11 Cambria Freymuth, Freshman, Outside Hitter (Ft. Lewis)
#5 Aziza Morris, Junior, Right-Side Hitter (Highlands)
#14 Meg Pfannerstill, Sophomore, Outside Hitter (Highlands)
#13 Eliana Mata, Junior, Setter (Sul Ross)
#17 Kaitlyn Salgado. Freshman, Outside Hitter (WNMU)
#4 Daphne Posthumus (Lelystad, Netherlands/CCNV Harderwijk (Netherlands)), Freshman, Middle Hitter (WNMU)
#9 Sophia Valdez, Junior, Outside Hitter (ENMU)
 

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Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (X, TikTok & Instagram).