Game Notes

PORTALES, N.M. – The ENMU Greyhounds volleyball team opens the 2016 campaign at the West Texas A&M Lady Buff Classic, hosted by West Texas A&M at "The Box." ENMU, which returns six starters and 13 letterwinners, is coming off a 13-20 campaign and looks to get off to a hot start against Northern Michigan, McKendree, Adams State and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
 
Live stats for the tournament can be found at http://www.gobuffsgo.com/sports/2016/7/26/2016-britkare-lady-buff-classic.aspx
 
First Serve
• ENMU Head Coach Sia Poyer (34-58), who begins his fourth-year at the helm of the volleyball program, needs 16 victories to eclipse the 50-win plateau.
• Lauren Frye enters her senior season with 1,149 career kills. Frye is currently ranked No. 3 on the all-time list and needs 546 kills to break Christabell Mariner's program record. The Amissville, Va., native was a First Team All-Conference selection a year ago.
• Senior Courtney Lawson aims to end her prolific career in the Green and White with a bang. Lawson was named one of three Academic Greyhounds of the year last year and has 24 double-doubles during her tenure at ENMU.
• The Greyhounds return five of the top six kill leaders from the 2016 squad in Lauren Frye (496), Brooklyn Biel (272), Courtney Lawson (230), Amanda Dietz (157) and Talaitupu Faumui (59).
• Junior Alexis Aguirre dished out 1,102 assists last season for an offense that averaged 12.50 kills/set. The Artesia, N.M., native posted three matches with 50 or more dimes last season.
• Junior Andrea Aguilar dug out 522 attacks a year ago, good for the ninth-highest mark in single-season history. The Clovis, N.M., native needs 181 to break 1,000 digs in her career with the Greyhounds.
• The Green and White also have four newcomers for the coming campaign. Freshmen Jessica Veeman, Taylor Gikas, Sarah Tuioti-Mariner and Sadie Phimmasone all joined ENMU with expectations of excellence.
 
Schedule Breakdown
• ENMU is 5-7 in the opening four games of the season under head coach Sia Poyer.
• The 'Hounds are 3-5 the last two seasons at the West Texas A&M Lady Buff Invitational
• The Green and White open the season with tournaments the first two weekends of the season before hosting New Mexico Highlands at Greyhound Arena on Sept. 20.
• ENMU will host 10 matches at the friendly confines of Greyhound Arena. Of the 10 home contests, nine are against foes from the Lone Star Conference
 
'Hounds Chasing Records
• Senior Lauren Frye is eyeing a number of records at ENMU. Currently she ranks in the top 10 in career kills (4th), attack attempts (4th) and block assists (7th). Additionally, Frye has 59 matches in her career with at least 10 kills and 11 matches with over 20 kills.
• Senior Courtney Lawson currently sits at seventh-place in her career for service aces with 103. Lawson needs 50 to match Jennifer Goble's all-time record.
 
Lone Star Conference Outlook
• The Greyhounds were picked to finish ninth in the Lone Star Conference, despite returning 13 letterwinners
• Tarleton State's Hailey Roberts was named Offensive Player of the Year, Texas Woman's Sara Oxford earned Defensive Player of the Year acclaim, and Texas A&M-Kingsville's Casey Klobedans was tabbed Setter of the Year.
• Angelo State was the narrow favorite to capture the Lone Star Conference title, according to the 2016 LSC volleyball preseason poll. The league's preseason polls reflect the opinions of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.
 
LSC Preseason Poll
                Place     Team                                     Points  
                1.            Angelo State (13)                 301
                2.            Tarleton State (12)                291
                3.            Texas Woman's                    239
                4.            West Texas A&M (4)             206
                5.            Texas A&M - Kingsville         184
                6.            Western New Mexico            176
                7.            Cameron                              158
                8.            Texas A&M - Commerce       154
                9.            Eastern New Mexico              99
                10.          Midwestern State                   61
                11.          UT Permian Basin                  45
 
Scouting Reports
• Scouting Northern Michigan - The Wildcats are coming off an impressive 2015 campaign in which they upset No. 1 ranked Ferris State in five sets on senior day. Northern Michigan returns three key cogs from last year's team that went 21-10 in Madison Whitehead, Kayla Chosa and Jami Hogeboom.
• Scouting McKendree - The Bearcats are coming off a 22-11 season and return nine upperclassmen. Junior Arela Williams brings back 458 kills from a year ago, includinga  .226 swing percentage.
• Scouting Adams State - The Grizzlies are coming off a 10-16 campaign from last season and return seven upperclassmen. Mallory Grimsrud is the top offensive returner, tallying 278 kills a year ago to lead the team.
• Scouting Southwestern Oklahoma State - The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-12 campaign and bring back seven upperclassmen. Senior Carly Zak posted nearly one-third of the team's total kills from a year ago, leading the squad with 446.