ENMU volleyball squad earns split in Iceman Invite

ODESSA, Texas – Eastern New Mexico University’s volleyball team earned a split on Friday’s first day of Texas-Permian Basin’s Iceman Invitational, beating Sul Ross State 25-16, 25-17, 25-19 before losing to the host Falcons 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19.

ENMU was slated to wrap up play in the two-day event on Saturday against Minnesota-Crookston and University of the Southwest.

The Greyhounds (2-4) made short work of Sul Ross behind a double-double from senior middle blocker Gracelyn Stubbs (10 kills, 15 assists) and strong outings from senior outside hitters Mikaela Garvin (nine kills, four aces) and Halle Sanders (seven kills, seven digs). ENMU trailed only briefly in Game 1 before taking charge.

The second set was close until the Hounds finished off the Lobos (1-3) with a 13-5 run to break away from a 12-12 tie. They took control of Game 3 with five consecutive points to lead 19-12 and never let Sul Ross get closer than four down the stretch.

Sophomore outside hitter Cassandra Espinoza collected eight kills and seven digs for Sul Ross.

UTPB (5-1) won its sixth consecutive match over the Hounds behind 12 kills and 13 digs from junior outside hitter Aaliyah Gray. ENMU’s last win in the series came in a 3-0 sweep of the Falcons at Greyhound Arena in September 2018.

Permian Basin erased an 18-14 deficit with a 5-0 run in the first set and scored five of the last seven points to nail it down. Another 5-0 surge in Game 2 gave the Falcons a 7-2 lead which they never relinquished.

The Hounds climbed out of a 6-2 hole in the third game to stay alive, scoring the final four points on a kill by Stubbs, a pair of UTPB errors and a set-ending ace by senior outside hitter Darcy Dodd. ENMU then led 11-9 in the final game before a pair of aces by senior middle hitter Cassandra Rother and four Hounds errors in a 7-0 run put the Falcons in front for good.

This week, ENMU will host the Lone Star Conference Volleyball Preview from Thursday through Saturday at Greyhound Arena. The Hounds face Cameron and Western New Mexico on Thursday, St. Edward’s on Friday and Midwestern State on Saturday.

Cross country – ENMU’s harriers ran at Midwestern State’s Mustang Derby on Thursday.

Three full men’s squads competed, with Oklahoma City University taking team honors with 21 points to 38 for Dallas Baptist and 70 for the Hounds. Oklahoma City’s Beckham Harris notched individual honors with a time of 19 minutes, 57.3 seconds over 6 kilometers.

For ENMU, freshman Matthew Guerra led the way with a seventh-place finish in 20:43.4, followed by junior Ethan Woodrome, 11th in 23:00.6; freshman Gustavo Padilla, 16th in 23:51; sophomore Emmanuel Hernandez, 17th in 23:56.3; junior Ricky Diaz, 19th in 25:27.0, and freshman Bryce Owen, 20th in 26.27.9.

MSU dominated the women’s race with a perfect score of 15 and, in fact, earned the top seven places, followed by Dallas Baptist 66, Oklahoma City 98, Southeastern Oklahoma 101 and Texas-Permian Basin 160. The individual winner in the 4K event was Jadyn Dangerfield in 14:47.0.

ENMU senior Maritza Alvarez was the first non-MSU finisher, placing eighth in 15:07.5. Senior Kaylyn De La Rosa was 13th in 15:35.8, senior Lauren Griego claimed 34th place in 17:34.4, and sophomore Jazmine Smith was 42nd in 23:41.4.

Up next for the Hounds is Friday’s Texas Tech Open at Lubbock.