Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Freedom New Mexico
Senior outside hitter Ashley Murray had 13 kills Tuesday night to help New Mexico Highlands beat Eastern New Mexico University 25-21, 25-23, 25-17 in non-conference volleyball at Greyhound Arena.
The Cowgirls (7-10) led most of the way. They opened a five-point margin midway through the first game, then weathered a rally by the Zias (6-16) to close it out.
In the second set, Highlands scored the first six points and never relinquished the lead, although the Zias pulled to 24-23 before Kristina Petty earned a kill for the Cowgirls on match point.
ENMU managed a 3-2 lead early in Game 3, but Highlands scored the next five points, then went on another 5-0 run to open a 20-11 cushion.
Petty added nine kills for Highlands, while sophomore middle blocker Dominique Benton contributed seven kills and four total blocks.
The Zias, beginning a weeklong homestand, got eight kills each from freshmen Sarah Koch and Jessica King.
ENMU returns to Lone Star Conference South Division play with a 7 p.m. match on Thursday against Texas A&M-Commerce and a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday against Texas Woman’s.