Western New Mexico University's volleyball team lost in three straight sets to Texas Woman's University on Saturday at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas. The final scores were 25-16, 25-22, and 25-18 in favor of the home team.
Texas Woman's improved their record to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in Lone Star Conference play with a strong offensive showing, highlighted by 10 service aces and a .270 hitting percentage. Western New Mexico now stands at 8-9 overall and 3-4 in conference competition.
In the first set, Western New Mexico made defensive plays early on, including a block from Daphne Posthumus and Jayden Hughes that put the Mustangs on the scoreboard after an initial lead by Texas Woman's. Brynlee Barris and Hailey Meeks also contributed with blocks. Kaitlyn Salgado delivered a kill, while Hannah Haggard added a service ace as the Mustangs tried to narrow the gap. Despite consecutive points late in the set, Texas Woman's maintained their advantage to close out the first set.
The second set saw Western New Mexico overcome an early deficit through efforts from Barris and Salgado. A block by Carley Deck and Barris helped tie the score several times. However, timely kills and service aces from Texas Woman's allowed them to regain control. A late kill from Jade Rampton kept Western New Mexico close, but they fell short with a final score of 25-22.
In the third set, Ava Frezza and Barris contributed kills for Western New Mexico as they attempted to recover from early errors. Haefs provided a service ace and several assists during a brief rally that reduced the deficit to four points. Defensive blocks by Posthumus and Deck showed resilience, but Texas Woman's finished strong with consistent attacking.
Barris led Western New Mexico with nine kills on 22 attempts along with four blocks for a total of 12 points. Jayla McDuffie recorded 18 digs over three sets for defensive support. Haggard had 11 assists without an error on attack attempts; Deck contributed six kills with a .313 hitting percentage plus 13 digs.
For Texas Woman's, Tori Woods tallied nine kills with a .333 hitting percentage for 12 points; Jonaida Donowa had ten kills on fifteen attempts (.667), two blocks, totaling thirteen-and-a-half points; Alyssa Rojo led defensively with twenty-one digs; Sydney Garrison posted ten kills along with six digs and two blocks for eleven points.
Western New Mexico will return home to play against West Texas A&M at Drag’s Court in Silver City on Thursday, October 16 at 6 p.m., aiming to defend their home court.
"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)."
