Mustangs hand ENMU three-set loss

SILVER CITY – Western New Mexico pulled out three close sets and the Mustangs handed Eastern New Mexico University a 25-22, 25-22, 26-24 Lone Star Conference setback on Saturday.

ENMU (3-10, 0-2 LSC), which dropped its conference opener on Thursday at Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday, battled evenly through most of the match but couldn’t pull out points late in each set.

Senior outside hitter Jessica Sales had 15 kills while senior outside hitter Jazmyne Walker earned a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, to go with four block assists, for WNMU (5-8, 1-1). Junior setter Eimaya Medina posted 34 assists.

For the Hounds, senior outside hitter Darcy Dodd notched team bests with 12 kills and 13 digs while sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Sophia Valdez added 11 k ills. Freshman setters Cayla Reyes and freshman libero/defensive specialist Angelina Sanchez tallied 18 and 15 assists, respectively.

The first set was tight. ENMU had a pair of four-point leads before the Mustangs tied it with a 4-0 spurt.

Neither team led by more than two points gains until Medina’s kill capped a 3-0 spurt that put WNMU ahead 21-18. The Hounds never got closer than two the rest of the way, and the Mustangs ended it on a kill by Sales on match point.

ENMU had a couple of two-point leads early in Game 2, but a 4-0 run by the Mustangs capped by Walker’s kill made it 13-10 and they never relinquished the lead.

In the third set, the Hounds used a 5-0 run capped by back-to-back kills from Valdez for an early 5-1 lead. ENMU kept the upper hand until late, with Western pulling even 23-23 on a kill by Medina.

Walker’s service error brought the Hounds to set point, but the Mustangs scored the final three points to end it.

ENMU returns to Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena for conference matches against Lubbock Christian at 6 p.m. on Friday and 14th-ranked Angelo State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Rodeo – ENMU’s women captured second place to Cisco College in a 17-team field over the weekend in the Sul Ross State rodeo in Alpine Texas.

Sisters Shaeden and Shacie Marr accounted for all 200 points for the Hounds, with 125 points in breakaway roping and 75 in goat-tying. Shacie tied for in goat-tying to account for 75 points while placing fourth in breakaway for 75 more points.

Shaeden tied for sixth in breakaway roping, accounting for 50 points.

ENMU returns to action in the Clarendon College Rodeo, scheduled for Oct. 10-12.

Cross country – ENMU competed in New Mexico Highlands’ XC Jam on Saturday.

In the men’s 7K race, featuring 21 runners, freshman Bryan Hernandez led the Greyhounds with a fifth-place finish in 24 minutes, 45.84 seconds. Other finishes for the Hounds included freshman Justin Sauceda, ninth in 25:59.24, and senior Ethan Woodrome, 10th in 26:36.45.

Highlands took the top four spots in the race, led by freshman Weldon Chebon in 21.25.6.

In the women’s 5K, with 30 runners, freshman Elizabeth Lujan-Towles posted the Hounds’ top finish, coming in sixth in 20:24.21. Also, freshman Sylvia Lagat was 11th in 21:41.4.

Highlands also went 1-2-3-4 in that race, led by freshman Summer Abeyta in 19:03.8.

Highlands won both divisions, finishing with 16 points to 39 for Northern New Mexico on the men’s side and 19 points to 36 for Western New Mexico and 75 for Northern New Mexico in women’s competition.

ENMU hosts its Greyhound Invite on Saturday at its on-campus course, starting at 8:30 a.m.