ENMU squads ranked near bottom in LSC preseason polls

PORTALES – If any of Eastern New Mexico University's volleyball, men's or women's soccer or men's or women's cross country teams accomplish much this fall, it will be a surprise to the Lone Star Conference.

Preseason polls recently released by the LSC have ENMU's volleyball squad projected for 14th out of 17 teams, men's soccer 10th out of 10, women's soccer and men's cross country 12th out of 13 and women's cross country 13th out of 15.

"I'm not really worried about polls," cross country coach Josh Harden said. "I think we're just focused on getting better every day and helping each other out."

All four squads open the season this week. The volleyball team plays four matches in the Midwestern State Invitational this weekend at Wichita Falls, Texas; men's and women's soccer will be in Colorado to take on Adams State on Thursday and Fort Lewis on Saturday, and cross country opens in the Lori Fitzgerald Open on Saturday at Las Cruces, hosted by New Mexico State.

Volleyball – Longtime coach Sia Poyer hopes his squad can build off last year's 15-13 mark (6-10 LSC), the program's first overall winning season since 2016.

"Our conference is always good, but I was a little surprised (by the poll) because we finished real well last year," said Poyer, who is beginning his 10th season at the helm.

A native of American Samoa, Poyer served as an assistant for 14 seasons under former ENMU coach Mike Maguire before spending eight campaigns as the head coach at NCAA Division II Valdosta State (Ga.).

"I love our group," Poyer said. "We're going to to be fine. It's just that our conference is always hard, and it'll be a challenge. You expect your younger kids to catch up."

Top returnees for the Greyhounds are outside hitter Mikaela Garvin, middle blocker Gracelyn Stubbs and libero Getsemani Carrasco, all seniors. Poyer is high on freshman middle blocker Sophia Valdez of Roswell Goddard.

The Hounds open with three weekend tournaments, capped by the LSC Volleyball Preview, slated for Sept. 14-16 at Greyhound Arena.

"We're happy to get to host something like that," Poyer said. "Our schedule is very favorable for us. The top teams in the conference are coming to us, and hopefully we can take advantage of that."

West Texas A&M, which captured the Division II national championship last season, is favored to repeat its LSC crown, followed in the poll by Texas-Tyler, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Dallas Baptist.

Men's soccer – Brandon Misuraca, hired last year to restart the program after a two-year hiatus due at least in part to COVID-19, took a "so what" attitude to the preseason poll.

"Fine, but a lot of people underestimate us," he said. "This is where we start seeing the program kind of grow."

ENMU finished 5-8-2 (2-6-1 LSC) in 2022 but Misuraca, who came to ENMU after coaching the first three years of Oklahoma Panhandle State's men's soccer program at Oklahoma Panhandle State and posting a 23-17-9 record, thinks his team could perhaps challenge for the LSC title.

"We're young but talented," he said. "We'll know in another week or two how good this team is."

In the "players to watch" category with the LSC poll, Hounds listed included forward Alexandre Meres, defender Tis Sula and goalkeeper Paul Waschkau. All are sophomores.

Meres, one of several players on the roster from France, led the team in scoring a year ago with four goals.

The highlight of last season for the Hounds was a 1-0 upset of then-No. 8 Midwestern State at Greyhound Stadium in early October.

"The highs were high, but then there were some lows," Misuraca said. "We dropped some games that maybe we shouldn't have."

Defending champion St. Mary's received 22 of 30 first-place votes in the poll and was tabbed to repeat its title, while No. 2 West Texas A&M and No. 3 MSU earned three first-place tallies apiece.

Misuraca said he knows it's a process, but he's anxious to see his team move up in the LSC pecking order.

"You've got to have a base," he said. "When you're starting from scratch, year 1 is trying to stretch the foundation."

Women's soccer – The Hounds were competitive in most matches last year, but struggled to find the back of the net. ENMU allowed only 19 goals for the season, but tallied just seven of its own and had one player, senior forward Samantha Vasquez, with as many as two.

Scoring is likely to be a challenge again, second-year coach Eric Belcher said.

"We're hoping for better results, but you never know," he said. "Once we get going, I think we'll fall into a groove."

ENMU (5-10-2, 3-7-2 LSC), which opens with three matches against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes, will try to blend about 20 newcomers – roughly half freshmen, half transfers – under coach Eric Belcher, beginning his second campaign with the program.

"We added a lot of players," he said. "Normally, that makes for an adjustment period for everyone."

ENMU's "players to watch" include sophomore forward Abby Ditzler, junior defender Sierra Villanueva and senior goalkeeper Samantha Jeffries.

Dallas Baptist is seeking its fifth consecutive league championship and drew 37 of 39 first-place votes in the poll.

Cross country – ENMU squads are a bit thin on depth, with the men's roster featuring eight runners and the women just five.

Still, Harden is looking for progress.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "This is a very young team. We've made a lot of adjustments on the fly."

Freshmen Mathew Guerra and Gustavo Padilla were ENMU's "runners to watch" for the men, with seniors Kaylyn de la Rosa and Maritza Alvarez on the women's side.

Alvarez, from Roswell, has the potential to do well early on, Belcher said.

"We expect a lot out of her," he said. "We hope she's going to be a solid No. 1 for us."

Ten-time defending champion West Texas A&M earned the preseason nod on the men's side, while Dallas Baptist's women are looking for a fourth consecutive conference title.