CLOVIS, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico capped off the 2022 season with a thrilling 3-1 win over Western New Mexico University at Clovis "The Rock" High School on Friday evening. The Greyhounds end the season with a 15-13 standing, along with a 6-10 LSC record. Meanwhile, the Mustangs move to 3-24 on the campaign, holding a 1-14 LSC record.
 
The Mustangs silenced the home crowd by taking the first set in the contest 25-19. The beginning of the set saw both teams tied at 10, but Western New Mexico started to pull away in the frame. WNMU held a 17-15 advantage but used six straight points to put the Hounds out of reach of the first set.
 
After falling in the opening set, the Greyhounds made no mistake to start second frame, jumping out to a 7-0 advantage. Kali Nelson started the set with two kills while Qitana Sapiga picked up two service aces. The large gap between the teams continued into the rest of the set, with the Greyhounds finishing the set 25-18 over WNMU.
 
In the third set, both teams swung back and forth volleying for the lead with the Mustangs holding a 11-10 advantage. However, the Greyhounds offense put together a large streak of points to win the set, closing out the third frame on a 15-3 run. The largest stretch was a 7-0 run for the Greyhounds, with Adriana Puni leading the way with three kills in the streak. ENMU finished the set 25-14 over Western New Mexico.
 
The final set proved to be the closest between the two teams. With the Greyhounds ahead 15-12, WNMU rallied and strung together a 10-3 run to go up four points over the Greyhounds 22-18. From that the points, Eastern claimed the rest of the points winning the set 25-22, and the match 3-1. Gracelyn Stubbs kickoff the game winning stretch with a kill, then added a block assist on the next rally with Puni. Kills from Stubbs and Puni, a block from Neslon, and two WNMU attack errors ended the match in the Greyhounds favor.

NOTABLE STATS

• ENMU narrowly bested the Mustangs for kills, 44-43, while holding a significant edge in digs, 68-64, and blocks, 15-7.
• Nelson paced the ENMU attack with 14 kills, while Stubbs provided 10 kills, and Puni finished with seven kills.
• Sapiga finished the contest with a team high 21 assists, with Kayla Ison adding 12 assists.
• Three Greyhounds reached double-figures for kills: Getsemani Carrasco finished with 15, Sapiga supplied 14, and Ison chipped in with 10.
• Stubbs and Puni had a substantial impact at the net, with Stubbs providing eight total blocks, and Puni finishing with seven total blocks.

FROM THE SOURCE

"I'm very happy for our seniors to finish their careers with a win," said Head Volleyball Coach Sia Poyer. "I'm very proud of our seniors and our team for their determination".

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Greyhounds played at Clovis "The Rock" High School for tonight's match, their first time playing in Clovis against the Mustangs.
• ENMU bested the Mustangs with home court advantage for the first time since 2018.
• Stubbs tied a career best eight total blocks in the match, setting a season's best in the category.
• Sapiga and Ison both supplied double doubles in the match. Sapiga picked up 21 assist and 14 digs (10^th double-double of the season), while Ison finished with 12 assists and 10 digs (5^th double-double of the season).
• The Greyhounds complete the 2022 season with a record of 15-13, marking the winningest season since 2016 when the Greyhounds went 19-13. This is also the second most wins in a season under the leadership of Poyer.
• After the match, the ENMU Volleyball program honored five seniors. Stubbs, Puni, Sapiga, Jordan O'Connor-Dempsey, and Daejia Rodriguez were all recognized following the match.