August 25, 1997
For Immediate Release
Contact: Judy Willson, SID
505.562.4309

Friday, August 29
New Mexico Highlands vs. Eastern New Mexico 5:00 pm
Eastern New Mexico vs. Western New Mexico 7:00 pm
@ Mustang Fieldhouse, Silver City, New Mexico

Saturday, August 30
Western New Mexico vs. Eastern New Mexico 10:00 am
Eastern New Mexico vs. New Mexico Highlands Noon
@ Mustang Fieldhouse, Silver City, New Mexico

New Beginnings...for four letterwinners and nine new players as the 1997 version of the Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team begins competition this weekend at Western New Mexico University in Silver City. The Zias, under Head Coach Mike Maguire, are coming off of a 20-11 season in which they finished tied for third in the Lone Star Conference at 12-6 with Central Oklahoma. Maguire is in his 11^th season at the helm of the Zia program.

Setting the Stage...for the newcomers will be returning letterwinners Stacey Estlund (Sr., Clarkston, Wash.), Tara Dougherty (Sr., Clovis), Irma Cobos (So., Kermit, Texas) and Jamie Vaughan (So., Alamogordo). Estlund was an All-LSC honorable mention selection at setter last season with 1,153 assists. She needs 525 assists to move into second on the Zias' all-time career assist lists. 1,013 assists will move her past Zia great Barbara Lynn who sits on top of the list with 2,165 assists. Dougherty and Cobos were starters last season at outside hitter, while Vaughan was a key reserve at middle blocker.

The New Mexico Three...this season's squad features three incoming freshman from the state of New Mexico. Stephanie Pratt (Los Alamos) was the New Mexico 3A Player of the Year in 1996. Rosemary Brown (Roswell) and Jessica Crawford (Clovis) have been two-time All-District selections for their respective programs. All three were selected to participate in the North/South All-Star Match during this past summer. Brown and Pratt are setters, while Crawford is an outside hitter.

Experienced, but new...describes the help that Maguire found for the outside hitter and middle blocker positions. In to help Vaughan at middle blocker are junior college transfers Krista Robinson (Rockdale, Texas), Gina Rhyno (Fernley, Nev.) and Tina Wehrli (Visalia, Calif.). Robinson is a transfer from San Jacinto College. Rhyno was a first team All-Golden Valley Conference player out of Feather River Community College. Wehrli was a second team All-Central Valley Conference pick for the College of the Sequoias.

Coming to play outside hitter are Charlene Hunt (Folsom, Calif.) and late addition to the Zia roster, Stacie Wilshire (Visalia, Calif.). Hunt led all California junior college players in service aces last season at Sacramento City Community College. Wilshire was a teammate of Wehrli's at College of the Sequoias.

This Week's Opponents...host Western New Mexico University is coming off of a tough 0-33 season last year. The Lady Mustangs, under Head Coach Marcibeth Phillips, compete in the Pacific West Conference and are members of NCAA Division II. New Mexico Highlands, under first-year Head Coach Peter Cosmiano, were 12-19 last season. The Cowgirls compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and are members of NCAA Division II.

The New LSC...the 1997 season begins expanded conference competition with 13 schools competing for the Lone Star Conference 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 behind West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville. 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 Cameron University, University of Central Oklahoma, 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 top three teams from each division will advance to the LSC Post-season Tournament on November 11, 13 and 15.

Coming Up for the Zias...ENMU continues on the road September 5-6 at the Missouri Southern State College Invitational in Joplin, Missouri. They will play solid South Central Region competition in Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.), Drury College (Springfield, Mo.), Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) and host Missouri Southern. The Zias play their first home match on Wednesday, September 10 against Western New Mexico University in Greyhound Arena at 7:00 pm.

Admission...is free to all Zia regular season home volleyball matches.