Zias Sweep Wayland Baptist
Win Opener of Lady Buff Challenge

Box score

CANYON, TEXAS — The Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team (13-5) snapped a two-match losing streak in tremendous fashion, sweeping Wayland Baptist University (30-25, 30-19, 30-19) in the opening match of the BritKare Lady Buff Challenge, held at West Texas A&M University. Three different Zias posted 10 or more kills in the match.

Grace George (So., MB, Kaaawa, HI/Kahuku HS) led Eastern with 15 kills, making only three errors for a .500 hitting percentage. Lindsay Schiely (Jr., MB, Portland, OR/Clackamas CC) and Anna Bellum (Sr., OH, Albuquerque, NM/Garden City CC) each had 10 kills in the match, as the Zias hit .263 as a team.

Margie Goble (Sr., S, San Antonio, TX/Holmes HS) made 29 assists in the match for ENMU, and Amber McCarthy (Jr., S, Huntington Beach, CA/Orange Coast CC) came in to post nine assists of her own. Jessica Weeks (Sr., LIB, Brownwell, KS/Garden City CC) led Eastern with 10 digs in the match, while Kelley McGinty (Sr., OH, Longview, WA/Whatcom CC) added nine.

Wayland hit .037 as a team for the match, topping out at .077 in the first game, making 11 kills and eight errors. Mary Grace Moore led WBU with nine kills in the match, but posted 12 errors in the process.

The Zias are back in action tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 8, as they face off with St. Mary’s University at 1 p.m. (MDT) and Texas A&M University-Commerce at 5 p.m.

The match with St. Mary’s should be a key one for the Zias, as both teams are ranked in the Southwest Regional poll, released on Oct. 3. Eastern enters the week ranked sixth in the region, while St. Mary’s is seventh. Eastern defeated SMU in four games in the teams’ only meeting this year, on Sept. 18 at the LSC/Heartland Crossover.