Senior Brooklyn Biel finished with a team-high 13 kills while sophomore Sarah Tuioti-Mariner had 12 and freshman Jasmine Gannon had 11. Setters Kaitlyn Kluna and Alexis Aguirre combined for 43 assists and both totaled at least 20 in the match. Kluna and Tuitoi-Mariner recorded double-doubles while Andrea Aguilar picked up 17 digs.
After getting off to a slow start in the opening set, Eastern came alive late to take a 1-0 lead in the match. As a team, the Greyhounds hit .333 and forced seven errors by Highlands. Individually, Gannon and Tuioti-Mariner notched four kills while hitting .429 and .333, respectively.
The Greyhounds continued to ride the hot start through the early goings of the second set. Sadie Phimmasone picked up three blocks to spark the Hounds, but a late surge by the Cowgirls evened the match at one, 25-22.
In the third, ENMU rode Biel’s five kills and .333 attack percentage to a 25-19 advantage.
The Green and Silver committed 10 attack errors in the fourth set, leading to a 18-25 setback, forcing a decisive fifth-set. In the fifth, ENMU was unable to overcome a .037 hitting percentage despite mounting a furious rally.
ENMU is back in action on Friday, Sept. 22, at Cameron. First serve against the Aggies is slated for 5 p.m. in Lawton. For all the latest news on the Greyhounds volleyball program, follow @greyhoundvball and @ENMUAthletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or visit GoEasternAthletics.com.
