SILVER CITY, NM — Western NM defeated Texas Woman's 3-2 on Saturday, winning 25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-12. The deciding set swung when Western NM moved from an 8-9 deficit to a 13-10 lead before closing out the match.
Western NM created separation in the opening set by winning seven of eight rallies from a 5-5 tie, moving ahead 12-6 behind kills from
Jade Rampton (Nelson, New Zealand/Shanghai American School) and Ava Frezza and a
Hannah Haggard (Tucson, AZ/Tanque Verde High School) ace. Texas Woman's later narrowed the score to 15-12, but Western NM kept the lead and closed the set 25-17 on Rampton's kill from Haggard.
Western NM turned a 6-3 deficit into a 10-6 lead with seven straight points, with
Mikelle McAfee (Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union High School.) serving through the final six points of the run and Frezza contributing two kills. Western NM was still ahead 23-21 after a
Daphne Posthumus (Lelystad, Netherlands/CCNV Harderwijk (Netherlands)) block, but Texas Woman's scored the final four points to take the set, 25-23.
Western NM erased an early 5-2 deficit in the third set, using blocks from Posthumus and Hailey Meeks during Haggard's serve to go ahead 6-5. Texas Woman's answered with service pressure and later pushed the score to 17-9, and Western NM's late points behind kills from
McKenna Alvarez-Mittelsted (Katy, TX/Cinco Ranch HS),
Payton Zenan (Sahuarita, AZ/Sahuarita HS) and Posthumus were not enough to close the gap. Texas Woman's took the set 25-19.
Western NM erased a 24-22 deficit with four straight points to take the fourth set 26-24, using a Meeks kill and back-to-back Posthumus service aces before a Texas Woman's attack error finished it. Earlier, Western NM answered a 6-3 hole with six consecutive points, including a Rampton kill, a McAfee ace and a block involving Posthumus and Alvarez-Mittelsted, to move in front 9-6.
Western NM erased a 10-8 deficit in the fifth set, moving ahead 13-10 after an Alvarez-Mittelsted kill and four straight service points from McAfee. Texas Woman's cut the margin to 13-12, but Posthumus answered with consecutive kills, the first from
Kiara McDuffie (Aubrey, TX/Braswell High School) and the second from Haggard, to close the set 15-12.
Following the win, head coach,
Geno Frugoli, highlighted the team's determination saying, "Nice win against a quality opponent. You could really see our passion and will to win today."
Posthumus led Western NM with 17.5 points and seven total blocks, adding 10 kills and two aces. McAfee recorded a team-high 28 digs and added a service ace. Haggard finished with a team-high 21 assists, eight digs and one ace. Rampton tallied 10 kills on a .450 hitting percentage with six digs.
Western NM is 11-7 overall and 5-2 in Lone Star play.
Up next, Western New Mexico volleyball team visits West Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. MT at WTAMU Field House The Box in Canyon, Texas.
***
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)
