August 8, 1997
For Immediate Release
Contact: Judy Willson, SID
505.562.4309

(Portales, N.M.) --- The Eastern New Mexico University women's volleyball team will be the first group to report to campus for the start of fall practice. Head coach Mike Maguire's Zias report on Saturday, August 9 for their first practice of the 1997 season at 3:00 pm in Greyhound Arena. The Zias are coming off of a 20-11 season. Eastern New Mexico finished tied for third in the Lone Star Conference at 12-6 with Central Oklahoma.

The 1997 season begins expanded conference competition with 13 schools competing for the LSC title. ENMU will compete in the South Division with Abilene Christian University, Angelo State University, Midwestern State University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University-Kingsville and West Texas A&M University. The Zias were picked third in the 1997 LSC-South Division Pre-season Volleyball Poll with 174 points. They will play each team in the South Division at home and on the road, with four matches thrown in against North Division opponents. ENMU will play the University of Central Oklahoma, Cameron University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and Texas Woman's University. North Division schools Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University are not on the 1997 schedule.

The Zias have four letterwinners returning --- All-LSC honorable mention setter Stacey Estlund (Sr., 5-8, Clarkston, Wash.), outside hitters Tara Dougherty (Sr., 5-11, Clovis) and Irma Cobos (So., 5-8, Kermit, Texas), and middle blocker Jamie Vaughan (So., 5-10, Alamogordo). Estlund finished the season with 1,153 assists, placing second on the Zias' all-time season-high list. She will need 194 assists to move into second place on the all-time career assist list behind Zia great Barbara Lynn. If she is to pass Lynn, Estlund needs another spectacular season with at least 1,013 assists to become the Zias' career leader in assists. Dougherty and Cobos were starters last year, while Vaughan was mainly a substitute.

Among the newcomers are three 1997 New Mexico North/South All-Star selections. Stephanie Pratt, the New Mexico 3A Player of the Year, of Los Alamos, Rosemary Brown of Roswell and Jessica Crawford of Clovis have all been two-time All-District selections as a setter. Crawford is also an outside hitter.

Eastern New Mexico opens their season on Friday, August 29 at Western New Mexico University in Silver City. They will compete in a triangular with WNMU and New Mexico Highlands University. Their home opener will be Wednesday, September 10 against Western New Mexico at 7:00 pm in Greyhound Arena.