Zias split on final day of tournament
Sweep West Florida to up record to 2-2

GRAND JUNCTION, CO — The Eastern New Mexico University volleyball team finished off its opening weekend with a three-set victory over the University of West Florida on Saturday. The Zias finished the Mesa State Tournament with a 2-2 record. Earlier in the day, ENMU fell to host Mesa State, three games to one.

Against West Florida, the Zias won the first set by a narrow 30-28 margin, but drove forward to win the second and third sets by matching 30-26 scores. The Argonauts fell to 3-5 on the young season with the loss.

Eastern got contributions from a number of sources in the West Florida match, with Emilie Rodman (Sr., MB, Gilette, WY/Western Wyoming CC) leading the way with 12 kills. Lindsay Schiely (Jr., OH, Port Angeles, WA/Clackamas CC) continued her impressive play with an 11-kill effort, posting a .375 percentage in the process. She also led the team with five total blocks, two solo, with Rodman chipping in four blocks in the match. Anna Bellum (Sr., OH, Albuquerque, NM/Garden City CC) put up 10 kills of her own, while junior transfer Amber Davis (Jr., MB, Dodge City, KS/Dodge City CC) registered seven kills and a .316 attack percentage. Margie Goble (Sr., S, San Antonio, TX/Holmes HS) led the Zias with 36 assists.

In the day’s first match, the Zias were outslugged by a talented Mesa State team despite several solid performances. Bellum had arguably her best match of the weekend with a 20-kill effort in the four-game loss, making just three errors. Grace George (So., MB, Kaaawa, HI/Kahuka HS) set a pair of new career highs with a .379 attack percentage and 15 kills in the match, adding five blocks, two solo. Goble tallied 57 assists in a losing effort, while Jessica Weeks (Sr., LIB, Brownwell, KS/Garden City CC) paced ENMU with 15 digs on the match.

ENMU is back in action Monday night at 7 p.m. for its 2004 home opener, when Midwestern State University comes to Greyhound Arena to face off with the Zias.