ENMU Will Take on Texas Woman's in 1st Round of LSC Tournament at West Texas A&M
Zias and Pioneers Meet on Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. (MST)

PORTALES, NM - The Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team, which tied for second place in the Lone Star Conference South Division at 7-3 (16-14 overall), will take on Texas Woman's University, which tied for the LSC North title at 8-2 (15-18 overall), in the first round of the LSC Tournament, Nov. 13, at West Texas A&M University. The Zias, seeded third in the South, and the Pioneers, seeded second in the North, will play at 6 p.m. (MST).

The LSC Tournament will be played at the WTAMU Fieldhouse through Nov. 15. The event gets underway on Thursday, Nov. 13, when Abilene Christian University (#2 seed in the South) meets Cameron University (#3 seed in the North) at 4 p.m. (MST). The ENMU-TWU match will complete the first day's schedule.

On Friday, Nov. 14, the winner of the ACU-CU match will take on the University of Central Oklahoma (#1 seed in the North) at 4 p.m. (MST). The winner of the ENMU-TWU match will take on tournament host West Texas A&M (#1 seed in the South) at 6:30 p.m. Central Oklahoma and West Texas A&M receive first round byes.

The semifinal winners will meet for the LSC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 15. Game time for the title match is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MST). WTAMU is the defending champion, after defeating Central Oklahoma, 26-30, 30-23, 30-18, 30-22, in last year's title match.

ENMU and Texas Woman's both finished the season strong after slow starts. The Zias were 3-7 and 5-10 early in the year, but went 11-4 over their last 15 matches. TWU began the year with a 2-15 record, then closed out the regular season with a 13-3 run. The Pioneers, however, have lost three of their last four matches.

The Zias have been led by outside hitters Anna Bellum (Jr., Albuquerque, NM/Garden City CC) and Kelley McGinty (Jr., Longview, WA/Whatcom CC), and by middle blocker Emilie Rodman (Jr., Gillette, WY/Western Wyoming CC). Bellum leads the Zias with 457 kills and is averaging 4.2 kills per game. She has earned 379 digs (3.5 avg.). Rodman leads ENMU's starters with a .266 hitting percentage. She has recorded 280 kills, an average of 2.5 kills per game. McGinty has recorded 290 kills and is averaging 2.6 kills per game. She leads Eastern with 388 digs (3.5 avg.).

Other key contributors for the Zias have been setter Jennifer Bullock (Jr., Anaheim, CA/Cypress College) and middle blocker Grace George (Fr., Kaaawa, HI/Kahuku HS). Bullock has achieved 10.6 assists per game (1,157 in 109 games). She leads the team with 34 service aces and has contributed 277 digs (2.5 avg.). George ranks first on the squad with 120 total blocks (1.1 avg.) and has earned 227 kills (2.1 avg.).

Jessica Weeks (Jr., Brownell, KS/Garden City CC), who has played libero throughout the season, has provided ENMU with 299 digs (2.7 avg.). Defensive specialist Olivia Boan (So., Portales, NM/Portales HS) has registered 256 digs (2.3 avg.), while playing in all 111 games.

The Zias are making their 13th LSC Tournament appearance. ENMU reached at least the semifinals of the LSC Tournament nine times in 10 appearances between 1991 and 2001. Head Coach Mike Maguire (17th year) has led the Zias to 15 consecutive winning seasons.

Lone Star Conference Volleyball Standings (Through Nov. 8)

LSC North Division Overall

x-Central Oklahoma% 8-2 22-6

x-Texas Woman's# 8-2 15-18

x-Cameron 8-2 20-11

Midwestern State 3-7 14-19

Texas A&M-Commerce 3-7 15-16

Southeastern Oklahoma 0-10 3-33

x-Tied for LSC North title and qualified for LSC Tournament

%-Won three-way tie-breaker for #1 seed from the North Division

#-Won tie-breaker for #2 seed from the North Division

LSC South Division Overall

x-West Texas A&M 9-1 26-7

y-Abilene Christian# 7-3 25-10

y-Eastern New Mexico 7-3 16-14

Angelo State 5-5 13-20

Texas A&M-Kingsville 2- 8 9-25

Tarleton State 0-10 9-27

x-Won LSC South title and qualified for LSC Tournament

y-Qualified for LSC Tournament

#-Won tie-breaker for #2 seed from the South Division