Western New Mexico University’s volleyball team secured its first Lone Star Conference win of the season by defeating Texas A&M International University in four sets at Drag's Court in Silver City. The Mustangs, now 6-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play, won with set scores of 25-13, 26-28, 25-19, and 25-22.
The home team started strong in the opening set, building an early lead through kills from Jayden Hughes and Hailey Meeks, with assists from Hailey Haggard. Mikelle McAfee added two consecutive service aces to extend Western New Mexico’s advantage. Kaitlyn Salgado contributed multiple kills as the Mustangs maintained control. A late block by Hughes and Brynlee Barris on Gabriella Gamboa helped secure a decisive 25-13 win for Western New Mexico.
In the second set, Western New Mexico opened with a service ace from Haggard and took an early lead. Contributions from Daphne Posthumus and Hughes kept the Mustangs ahead at 14-9 midway through the set. Despite efforts from Natalie Cisneros of Texas A&M International, including several key kills, the Dustdevils rallied to take a narrow 28-26 victory after capitalizing on errors by Western New Mexico.
The third set saw Western New Mexico fall behind briefly due to their own errors but recover with points from Hughes, Salgado, and Barris to tie at 7-7. Service aces and blocks allowed them to build an advantage that they maintained throughout the set. Posthumus delivered crucial kills late as Western New Mexico closed out the set with a 25-19 win.
Defensive plays marked the start of the fourth set for Western New Mexico as Hughes recorded a block against Danea King’s attack error. Kills by Barris and Posthumus gave them an early edge before Texas A&M International tied it up at 3-all. However, further contributions from Jade Rampton and another service ace by Barris pushed Western New Mexico ahead again. Despite a late comeback attempt by Texas A&M International narrowing the gap to four points at one stage, offensive pressure from Posthumus and Savanna Haefs ensured that Meeks could finish off the match with a kill for a final score of 25-22.
Jayden Hughes led all players with 16 kills on 37 attacks for a total of 18.5 points for Western New Mexico. Mikelle McAfee anchored defense with 19 digs while adding three service aces. Daphne Posthumus posted a .435 hitting percentage along with her dozen kills and two blocks; Brynlee Barris contributed both offensively (11 kills) and defensively (four blocks).
For Texas A&M International University, Mia Molina scored a team-high 18 points across four sets while Natalie Cisneros provided consistent support through her setting duties—delivering 33 assists without recording any errors—and Abby Buenrostro achieved seven kills on .538 hitting plus three solo blocks.
Western New Mexico will next face Texas A&M-Kingsville on October 4 at Drag's Court in Silver City; first serve is scheduled for noon.
"Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (X, TikTok & Instagram)."
