Western New Mexico University’s volleyball team lost to St. Mary’s University in a four-set match on Thursday at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas. The Mustangs recorded set scores of 21-25, 25-17, 20-25, and 22-25. With this result, Western New Mexico holds a season record of 12 wins and 16 losses overall, and a conference record of 6-10 in the Lone Star Conference. St. Mary’s improved to 14-12 overall and is now 11-5 in conference play.
The opening set saw Western New Mexico respond quickly after St. Mary’s scored first, with Daphne Posthumus tying the score at one apiece with a kill. Despite closing the gap several times during the set—helped by kills from Brynlee Barris, Jade Rampton, and Kaitlyn Salgado—the Mustangs fell behind due to service and attack errors and eventually lost the set by four points.
In the second set, Western New Mexico started strong with defensive plays from Jayden Hughes and Barris. Hughes also contributed offensively with kills that helped secure an early lead for the Mustangs. The team maintained momentum through consistent attacks and service aces from Hughes before winning the set by eight points.
The third set began with promise for Western New Mexico as Jayla McDuffie delivered a service ace. However, St. Mary’s capitalized on Mustang errors to take control midway through the set despite efforts from Ava Frezza and others to close the gap. St. Mary’s ultimately took the third set by five points.
During the fourth set, both teams exchanged leads early on; Posthumus and Hughes provided key plays for Western New Mexico while Kiara McDuffie contributed defensively at the net. Despite regaining some momentum late in the set thanks to Salgado's scoring efforts and combined blocks from Salgado and Posthumus, St. Mary’s secured victory with consecutive points near the end.
Jayden Hughes led Western New Mexico offensively with 16 kills during the match while Mikelle McAfee and Kiara McDuffie each tallied 18 digs on defense. Barris added ten kills along with six blocks at net play; Posthumus finished with eight kills and four blocks.
For St. Mary’s, Alyssa Koehl led defensively with 29 digs over four sets while Wilk managed 36 assists setting up offensive opportunities for her teammates Laurene Robinson (14 kills) and Taylor Alston (14 kills). Dallasstar Johnson achieved a .533 hitting percentage alongside eight kills.
Western New Mexico will next compete against St. Edward's University on Saturday at Recreation and Athletics Center in Austin.
For more information about Mustang Athletics or upcoming games visit www.wnmumustangs.com or follow @WNMUathletics on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, or Instagram.
