PORTALES, N.M. – Eager to climb the conference standings, the Eastern New Mexico volleyball team hosts a pair of matchups against Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin this weekend.
The homestand begins on Friday at 6 p.m. against the Mustangs before ENMU battles the Falcons, Saturday at noon with both games scheduled to take place inside Greyhound Arena.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs failed to win a single set last week as the picked up a pair of losses to Angelo State and Lubbock Christian. WNMU extends its losing streak to five consecutive matches, currently tied for the longest in the LSC. Western has struggled serving the ball so far this season and have only managed 75 aces, the lowest mark in the league. The Mustangs defense has also been lacking as they own the fifth-highest opponent hitting percentage in the Lone Star at .209.
Senior setter Sarah Campoli has continued to orchestrate the Mustangs offense and leads the team with 14 service aces and 323 assists. Senior outside hitter Erin Moss remains the team leader in kills (147) and points (163) in 51 sets played. Sophomore outside hitter Bria Augustine has had a much smaller sample size than her teammate appearing in just 36 sets but, ranks second on the team with 110 kills on a .212 hitting percentage.
Defensively, WNMU will lean on Gabi Lau who has recorded a team-high 208 digs. Up front middle blocker Hannah Tishlaric has rejected 35 attacks and averages .70 blocks per set.
HISTORY WITH THE MUSTANGS
The Hounds hold a comfortable 30-14 series lead over Western New Mexico and are 17-4 when the Mustangs make the trip to Portales. WNMU got the best of the Greyhounds in the last meeting between the two squads when Eastern fell in a five-set road contest last season.
SCOUTNG THE FALCONS
The Falcons defeated Lubbock Christian 3-1 just to have their five-game winning streak snapped at the hand of Angelo State in a five-set match last week. UTPB ranks 15th in the conference in kills (802) and assists (743) however, has made up for its lack of offensive output by limiting its opponents to a .133 team hitting percentage, the second-lowest in the LSC.
The Falcons offense is led by one of the most efficient setters in the Lone Star in sophomore Analise Lucio who has recorded the fifth-most assists in the league with 432. Senior middle hitter Travana Matthews has benefited tremendously from the play of her teammate and leads the squad with 136 kills and owns the fourth-highest attacking percentage (.363) amongst conference competitors.
Matthews has also contributed defensively for the Falcons and ranks eighth with 67 blocks. Junior defensive specialist Megan Ashton roams the backline for UTPB and leads the squad with 245 digs.
HISTORY WITH THE FALCONS
ENMU is 8-6 all-time when taking the court against the Falcons. Recently, the Hounds have dominated in the matchups against UTPB as they have won five of the last six games dating back to 2016. The Hounds are 5-2 inside Greyhound Arena and have not lost a match to UTPB in front of its home supporters since 2009.
IT`S TURN AROUND TIME
With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the Hounds face an almost must-win situation this week if they hope to keep their postseason hopes alive. Eastern currently sits in sixth place in the division while the top four teams from each receive bids to the conference tournament.
Lubbock Christian (4-5 Div., 4-7 LSC) sits in fourth place while UT Permian Basin (3-3 Div., 7-3) occupies the number three spot. Following this week’s home games, the Hounds will get another look at UTPB and WNMU to finish up the season which will provide Eastern with a fantastic opportunity to climb the conference rankings.
`TIS THE SEASON
In their 3-1 loss to West Texas A&M last week, four Greyhound players recorded season-highs. Sophomore setter Rae Sapiga did a stellar job setting up the Greyhound offense and tied her career-high with 27 assists. Defensively, sophomore libero M’Lee Vinson set a personal best in digs as she tallied a game-high 26. Seniors Christelle Kialanda and Sarah Tuioti-Mariner set season-highs with 12 kills apiece as the squad also matched its season best with 54 total kills.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Middle blocker Gracelyn Stubbs and setter Qitana Sapiga have continued to produce as freshman and has provided a fresh option off of the bench for interim head coach Katie Burnett. Stubbs is currently second on the squad with 29 blocks and has recorded at least one in 10 of her 14 games. Sapiga has recorded 175 assists on the season and recorded her second double-double of her collegiate career with 19 assists and 10 digs against WT.
