PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico University Women's Volleyball team notched the team's first ever victory over a top-10 team with a thrilling 3-2 (25-20, 27-25, 13-25, 25-27, 15-9) win over 10
th-ranked Angelo State on Friday in front of 600 rowdy fans at Greyhound Arena. With the win, Eastern improves to 18-11 on the year and 13-6 in Lone Star Conference action.
"I'm certainly very happy for our kids and particularly our seniors," ENMU Head Coach
Sia Poyer said. "That was the biggest win in the history of this program. It was just incredible. I feel so blessed to be a part of that journey. Not just the season, but the roller coaster of emotions in that game. We hung in there."
"They [the crowd] help us so much," an emotional
Lauren Frye said after the match. "When I come off the bench and see them cheering at the top of their lungs, it makes me want to cry because we have so much school spirit and it helps us so much. Other schools have loud crowds, but the atmosphere tonight was unlike any I've been a part of since I've been at Eastern."
"Our crowd is amazing,"
Courtney Lawson said. "They give us so much momentum on the court. When we're on the court and can't even hear each other because they're cheering as loud as they can, it's the best feeling in the entire world and I love them so much."
"It's all part of our home court advantage," Poyer said. "We want a nice treat for our fans and that they've been here for so many wins this season. We love playing at home, but tonight's crowd was incredible."
The victory was historic in a number of ways as ENMU recorded its first win over ASU since 2006 and the first 18-win season since 2004. Additionally, the Greyhounds recorded their ninth win at home, the first time an Eastern team has won nine matches at home since 2002.
Senior
Lauren Frye picked up her 500
th-kill of the season in the win, marking the first time in her historic career she has eclipsed the 500 kill plateau. With 24 kills on the night, the Amissville, Va., native picked up the most against the Rambelles this season and needs 31 to set the all-time program record. Junior
Brooklyn Biel and senior
Courtney Lawson added 13 and 12 kills respectively to provide significant contribution to the Greyhound offense.
Defensively, Eastern held the Rambelles to a .159 attack percentage and out-dug Angelo State by a significant margin (75-51). Senior
Talaitupu Faumui and junior
Andrea Aguilar picked up 21 and 20 digs while Lawson added 17 and junior
Alexis Aguirre had 12. Aguirre and senior
Tiana Roebuck dished out 35 and 27 assists to set the table for the offense.
The Greyhounds rode the momentum of taking the first two sets to claim a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. In the first, Eastern closed the frame with an 11-7 run after leading the Rambelles by one (14-13). The second set featured a back-and-forth tilt to the very end. Frye and Lawson recorded the final three kills for the Greyhounds before an attack error by Brianna Sotello gave Eastern the 2-0 lead.
Angelo State would respond, however, in the third and fourth sets despite ENMU serving for the match in the fourth set at 24-23.
ENMU dominated the fifth set to secure the match, hitting .333 with Frye, Lawson and freshman
Sarah Tuioti-Mariner all accounting for multiple kills. The 'Hounds raced out to a 5-1 lead, capped off by Aguilar's service ace and expanded the lead to 11-4 moments later. After a small setback with a minor run by the Rambelles, Frye and Lawson closed the match with back-to-back kills to give Eastern the historic victory.
"Beating the No. 10 team in the country doesn't compare to anything I've ever been a part of in my four years here," Frye said choking back tears.
"The only thing this compares to is when I one state in high school," Lawson added. "It's the best feeling in the world. This is the best team. I love them so much. I'm so glad we all gave everything we could to beat them. It's amazing to beat the top team in the conference and No. 10 in the country."
The Greyhounds return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 12, against Tarleton State for Senior Day. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. at Greyhound Arena. For the latest news on the Greyhounds, visit GoEasternAthletics.com.
-Eastern New Mexico University-
Women's Volleyball
Will Edwards
