LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Western NM defeated Eastern NM 3-1 on Saturday, taking the match 25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 25-15 at John A. Wilson Complex. WNMU hit .203 with 40 kills and 10 aces, while Eastern NM finished at .077 with 29 attack errors.
WNMU answered an 0-2 start with six straight points, with Isabella Brewer serving five consecutive points and three aces as WNMU moved ahead 6-2.
Jayden Hughes (High Rolls, NM/Cloudcroft High School) finished with six kills, including two during that early stretch, while WNMU added late points from
Daphne Posthumus (Lelystad, Netherlands/CCNV Harderwijk (Netherlands)) and an Eastern NM attack error to take the set 25-17.
After a 19-19 tie, WNMU moved ahead 22-19 on Hailey Meeks' kill from
Mikelle McAfee (Casa Grande, AZ/Casa Grande Union High School.), an Eastern NM attack error and Jayla McDuffie's ace. Brynlee Barris added a kill for 23-20, and Meeks and Posthumus combined on a block that put WNMU at 24-20. Eastern NM scored the next two points, but a service error closed WNMU's 25-22 set win.
WNMU battled back in the third set with a five-point run that moved the score from 18-10 to 18-15, capped by consecutive kills from Hughes. Earlier, the Mustangs also erased a 6-2 deficit to tie the set at 6-6, with Meeks finishing that stretch with a kill. Eastern NM closed out the set from there, taking it 25-18.
WNMU pulled away in the fourth set with a 7-0 run that turned a 14-10 lead into a 21-10 advantage, with
Hannah Haggard (Tucson, AZ/Tanque Verde High School) serving through six straight points and recording back-to-back aces. Earlier, WNMU erased an 8-4 deficit and moved in front at 9-8 during Jayla McDuffie's service turn. Hughes and Meeks each supplied multiple kills in the set, and
Jade Rampton (Nelson, New Zealand/Shanghai American School) finished it with a kill for a 25-15 WNMU set win.
Hughes led WNMU with 18 kills, hit .533 and finished with 19.5 points. Haggard recorded 19 assists and two service aces. McAfee collected 13 digs and added five assists. Brewer tallied five kills, three aces and six digs.
WNMU is 4-3 overall.
Up next, WNMU plays Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday Sept. 5, at 4:30 p.m. MT at John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, NM.
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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).
