Athletic Report
November 9, 2001

ZIAS ADVANCE TO LSC TITLE MATCH WITH 3-2 VICTORY OVER CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
CANYON, TX — Eastern New Mexico University rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the final two games of the match and defeat the University of Central Oklahoma, 3-2, in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Tournament, Friday, Nov. 9 in Canyon, Texas. The Zias won 30-28, 23-30, 24-30, 31-29, 15-13.

With the victory, ENMU advanced into the LSC championship match on Saturday, Nov. 10 against tournament host West Texas A&M University. WTAMU defeated Abilene Christian University, 30-15, 30-23, 30-19, in the other semifinal match.

ENMU, which finished 2nd in the LSC South during the regular season, improved to 22-13 overall. Central Oklahoma, the LSC North champion, fell to 20-8. ENMU’s win avenged a 30-14, 30-27, 30-13 defeat to UCO on Oct. 6. Eastern is 11-3 since that loss. The Zias are making their first appearance in the LSC championship match since 1995, when West Texas A&M defeated Eastern, 3-2.

ENMU won the LSC regular season title in 1991, and claimed both the regular season and tournament titles in 1993. Against Central Oklahoma, the Zias won the opening game, 30-28. The game was close throughout, with ENMU recording the winning point on a service error by the Bronchos. In each of the next two games, UCO achieved big leads, then held off the Zias.

During the second game, the Bronchos led 19-10 before Eastern gradually cut into its deficit. Even so, the Zias never got closer than five points, and UCO won, 30-23. In the third game, Central Oklahoma scored 12 consecutive points for an 18-5 advantage.

The Zias reduced the margin, but could not catch UCO, as the Bronchos won, 30-24. At one point in the fourth game, it appeared that Central Oklahoma might build another insurmountable lead, as the Bronchos achieved a 17-11 advantage. Eastern countered with a 9-7 run, that cut the difference to four points, 24-20.The Zias also trailed 26-24, before scoring three straight points for a 27-26 lead.

Raina Pilon (Jr., MB, Eagan, MN/Pasco-Hernando C.C.) completed the 3-0 run with one of her 17 kills. ENMU also led 29-27 and 30-29, before Jessica Rowley (Sr., OH, Dallas, OR/Clackamas C.C.) registered the game-winning kill. The deciding game was played to 15 points.

Eastern zoomed out to a 5-1 lead, and still held a four-point margin at 11-7. A kill by Lexy Fortner trimmed ENMU’s lead to a single point at 12-11, and the Bronchos eventually tied the game, 13-13. Eastern edged in front, 14-13, then won the match when Alma Brahimaj of UCO sent an attack wide of the court while attempting to avoid a block by ENMU.

Brahimaj led all players with 38 kills. She also achieved a .382 hitting percentage on 76 attacks, and recorded 12 digs. Fortner added 26 kills, 9 digs and 4 service aces. Brahimaj and Fortner combined for 64 of UCO’s 85 kills and for 140 of the Bronchos’ 198 attacks.

Tori Walker contributed 11 kills, a .321 hitting percentage and 6 blocks for the Bronchos, while Katy Wallace provided 17 digs. Stacey Meek supplied UCO with 69 assists and 8 digs. UCO achieved a .308 team hitting percentage, while ENMU hit .242. The Bronchos also totaled 65 digs and 14 block assists, but made 4 ball-handling errors.

The Zias earned 70 digs, 4 block solos and 16 block assists. ENMU did not commit a ball-handling error. For the Zias, Christabell Mariner (Jr., MB, Pago Pago, Amer. Samoa/Tafuna H.S.) earned 22 kills, 8 digs and 4 total blocks. Pilon, in addition to registering 17 kills, made 11 digs and recorded 7 block assists.

Mariner moved close to the ENMU record for kills in a single season, which she set last year at 567. Mariner has recorded 562 kills this year, and needs just 5 to reach the record.

Courtney Wallenborn (Jr., RS, Camas, WA/Mt. Hood C.C.) and Shannyn De Arman (Jr., MB/OH, Chandler, AZ/Glendale C.C.) each produced 13 kills. Wallenborn hit .400 and earned 9 digs, while De Arman hit .303.

Margie Goble (So., S, San Antonio, TX/Holmes H.S.) dished out 64 assists and made 13 digs. Rowley led all players with 22 digs and pounded out 9 kills. Goble has 1,341 assists this season and 2,877 assists in two years at ENMU. She needs just 28 assists to tie the ENMU career record of 2,905, set by Lindsey Davison in 1998 and 1999.