PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team rallied to knock off rival, West Texas A&M, 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 26-24), on Tuesday evening at Greyhound Arena in front of 513 raucous fans. The win over the Lady Buffs gives the Greyhounds an 11-10 record on the season and 6-5 mark in Lone Star Conference play. Members of the 2015 and 2016 squad became the first team to upend WT multiple times since the 2004 season and first team to do so in consecutive years since the 1985-86 team. Additionally, it is the first time since 2004 that Eastern swept the Lady Buffs, 3-0.
Senior Lauren Frye recorded the most kills in program history in a three-set match with 25, besting Christabell Mariner's record of 23 set against Abilene Christian in 2001. The Amissville, Va., native hit a blistering .500 on the match to lead the 'Hounds. Junior Brooklyn Biel also added 11 kills to set the tempo for Eastern.
Setters Alexis Aguirre and Kaitlyn Kluna combined to dish out 48 assists and each had at least 20 dimes on the match. Andrea Aguilar led the defense with 17 digs while Talaitupu Faumui also added 13 to post double-figures.
Eastern started quickly in the first set, racing out to a 5-1 lead and continued to build momentum throughout the set to take the opener, 25-20, despite hitting its lowest single-set percentage of the match at .175.
Despite the early momentum, the Greyhounds fell behind quickly in the second set, 15-8, but continued to chip away at the Lady Buffs lead. Eastern fought off four-straight set points, down 24-21, putting together a 5-0 run to take its first lead in the second set before making the match 2-0 going into the intermission.
Much like the second set, the Green and Silver rallied in the third to overcome a set point down, 24-23. Sarah Tuioti-Mariner picked up her ninth kill of the match to tie the frame at 24 before a pair of attack errors by WT gave the 'Hounds a 26-24 sweep of the Lady Buffs.
The Greyhounds return to the court on Friday, Oct. 22 when they host Texas A&M-Kingsville. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. at Greyhound Arena. For the latest news, follow @ENMUAthletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit goeasternathletics.com.
