Athletic Report
October 3, 2000

WEST TEXAS A&M DEFEATS ZIAS, 15-10, 15-7, 15-5 Crowd of 1,220 on hand at Greyhound Arena
PORTALES, NM — West Texas A&M University, tied for #3 in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Poll, defeated Eastern New Mexico University, 15-10, 15-7, 15-5, in a Lone Star Conference match, Oct. 3 at Greyhound Arena. The Lady Buffs improved to 19-1 overall and 5-0 in the LSC South with the victory. Eastern New Mexico dropped to 17-5 on the season, including 3-2 in the LSC South. A crowd of 1,220 attended the game.

ENMU pushed out to leads of 9-4 and 10-5 in the first game, but was unable to hold off the Lady Buffs. Christabell Mariner (So., MB, Pago Pago, Ameri. Samoa/Tafuna H.S.) recorded 7 kills for ENMU during the game. West Texas A&M gradually rallied, eventually tying the game, then scoring five more points for a 15-10 win. The Lady Buffs scored the final 11 points of the game.

West Texas A&M, which hit .209 in the first game, increased its hitting percentage to .306 during the second game and to .438 in the third game. The Lady Buffs built a quick 8-2 in the second game on their way to a 15-7 win. In the third game, WTAMU led 11-1 before the Zias cut the deficit to 13-5. West Texas won the game 15-5.

Shannon Stroud led a balanced WTAMU attack with 8 kills. She also earned 11 digs. Jennifer Catano, Jess Anne Fernandes and Brigid Maruszak added 7 kills apiece for the Lady Buffs. Kendra Morgan provided 29 assists. The Lady Buffs also played solid defense at the net, recording 22 total blocks.

Eastern New Mexico was led by Mariner, who finished the match with 13 kills. She also was credited with 5 digs and 3 block assists. Jenny Gledhill (Jr., RS, West Jordan, UT/Sheridan J.C.) contributed 5 kills and a .250 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Margie Goble (San Antonio, TX/Holmes H.S.) earned 20 assists, 4 kills and 8 digs.

Both teams will participate in the LSC Crossover Tournament at Abilene Christian University on Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7. ENMU is scheduled to take on Cameron University at 12:00 noon (MDT) on Friday, followed by a match against Texas Woman’s at 5:00 p.m. (MDT) on Friday. The Zias are slated to play Texas A&M-Commerce at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The LSC Crossover games do not count in the divisional standings.