The Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team will try to end a three-match losing streak when they host Lubbock Christian University on Tuesday. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena in Portales.
Eastern New Mexico currently holds a 3-11 overall record and is 1-3 in conference play. Over the past weekend, the Greyhounds lost two matches: a 1-3 defeat to Texas Woman's University on Friday, followed by a straight-set loss to Dallas Baptist University.
Sophia Valdez leads the Greyhounds with 173 kills this season and ranks third in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) for kills per set at 3.53. Freshman Addison Bartlett has contributed 115 kills and averages 2.35 kills per set, recording double-digit kills in each of the last five matches, including a season-high 23 against Western New Mexico.
Transfer middle blocker Amya Speller leads Eastern New Mexico with 36 total blocks and has added 72 kills while hitting .237. Violeta Flores averages 5.19 assists per set, totaling 249 this season, which places her fifteenth in the conference.
On defense, Imahni Brown reached her 500th career dig as a Greyhound during a win over Western New Mexico on September 20. She currently leads the team with 224 digs and is sixth in the conference with an average of 4.57 digs per set. Bartlett follows with 137 digs.
The Greyhounds rank eleventh in service aces within their conference, averaging 1.57 per set and accumulating a total of 77 this season. They are tenth in digs per set at 15.61, totaling 765 so far.
After Tuesday’s game, Eastern New Mexico will travel to Canyon for a Saturday matchup against nationally-ranked West Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Mountain Time (2 p.m. Central Time).
Lubbock Christian enters Tuesday’s contest with a strong record of 12-4 overall and an undefeated mark of 4-0 in LSC play. Lily Bickley leads LCU with 171 kills this year, followed by Emilee Sikora with 154 kills; Payton Murray and Jade Workman have also surpassed the century mark for kills this season.
Bickley also leads LCU defensively with 43 blocks—35 assisted and eight solo—while Abby Dominguez has recorded a team-high of 292 digs at an average of nearly five per set (4.87). Camdyn Sears has contributed both offensively and defensively, leading LCU with 567 assists and ranking second on the team in digs (171).
Eastern New Mexico holds a narrow edge in its all-time series against Lubbock Christian, leading by one win at 34-33.
