Eastern New Mexico volleyball begins a weekend road trip with a stop in Austin, Texas, to take on St. Edward’s University in a Lone Star Conference (LSC) clash on Friday, Oct. 8, with first serve scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The next day, Eastern will tangle with another LSC institution, St. Mary’s University, in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 9, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Greyhounds return to the floor after a lengthy break, following a 3-0 defeat to West Texas A&M University on Sept. 29. The Hounds sit at 1-12 on the season and 1-4 in LSC play.

SCOUTING THE HOUNDS

Going into the weekend, ENMU’s offense is providing 10.7 kills pers set (k/s), and suppling 9.6 assists per set (a/s). On defense, the Greyhounds finding 12.3 digs per set (d/s). At the net, Eastern is finishing with 1.98 blocks per set (b/s).

Jasmine Gannon leads the team on offense and defense. As an outside-hitter, Gannon paces the Hounds with 2.73 k/s, along with 2.81 d/s, both team highs. Mikaela Garvin and Gracelyn Stubbs provide a spark on offense with 2.46 k/s and 2.64 k/s, respectively. Rae Sapiga facilitates the offense 4.45 a/s, while Qitana Sapiga is just behind with 3.73 a/s. Defensively, Daejia Rodriguez supplies 2.53 d/s, with Jordan O’Connor-Dempsey finding 0.85 b/s, and Stubbs adding 0.81 b/s.

Around the LSC, ENMU stands in second in opponents digs, with 13.38 d/s allowed. The Hounds also rank in the top-five in the LSC for blocks per set, Eastern’s 1.98 b/s is fourth among LSC teams.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

St. Edward’s

The Hilltoppers come into the weekend 8-5 overall, and 3-3 in the LSC play. Recently, St. Edward’s spilt a weekend of matches, falling to University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) 3-1, then bouncing back to win the next day against Western New Mexico, 3-0.

SEU sits fifth in the LSC for kills and assists with 13.3 k/s and 12.4 a/s. On defense, the Hilltoppers are providing 17.1 d/s (ranking fifth in the LSC), while adding 1.9 b/s upfront.

Lourdes Gomez and Kaitlyn Krafka lead the St. Edward’s offense, with 3.44 and 3.29 k/s, respectively. Emily Tran is the LSC leader in assists and leads SEU with 10.38 a/s. Leading the Hilltoppers defense, Sarah Konovodoff averages 4.04 d/s, with Jillienne Connell suppling 0.87 b/s.

St. Mary’s

St. Mary’s enter the weekend at 8-5 on the season, with a 2-4 standing in conference play. Last time out, the Rattlers first won a clash with Western New Mexico, 3-1, before losing to UTPB, 3-2, the next day.

StMU overall have 12.2 k/s and 11.3 a/s as an offensive unit. The St. Mary’s defense is finding 16.4 d/s, along with 1.6 b/s. The Rattlers are the best team in the LSC in opponent blocks, only allowing opponents to have 1.43 b/s.

Individually, Alissa Tolbert leads the Rattlers with 3.15 k/s, while Cali Nims and Aislan Lennon each provide 4.98 a/s to the offense. Gabi Sandoval leads the team in d/s with 4.46. At the net, Meghan Stiefer is recording 0.85 b/s.