PORTALES, N.M. (Nov. 3, 2018) – Ending their Lone Star Conference regular season on a high note, Texas Woman's outlasted Eastern New Mexico, 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 11-25, 25-19, 15-11) Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Arena.

"Going into the match, we played really good yesterday and had a good warmup, had a great start, so we were playing pretty good," TWU head coach Jeff Huebner said. "They had a lot of good players on their roster and that gave us the opportunity to really use the ball."

The Pioneers (18-12, 10-10 Lone Star) started strong in the first set, putting up four points before the Greyhounds could get on the board, but ENMU recovered their defensive position and took the lead at 10-11. The shift in momentum hobbled the Pioneers, who found themselves struggling to control their receptions and attacks. The Greyhounds (9-19, 7-13 LSC) managed a 10-point run before finally committing an error. Junior Caroline Noel and freshman Isabel Vega took advantage of the misstep to put up a block for another point, but the recovery would be short-lived. A bad set from junior Katy Ranes gave the Greyhounds the point and the set, 16-25.

"[Eastern New Mexico] is a really good blocking team, it's something their coach does a really good job with every year," Huebner said. "They had a lot in the first set, but after that we settled down and made some better decisions."

An early service ace by junior Erin Jones, followed up by a block from junior Maggie Pyles, started the second set off right for the Pioneers, who managed a 17-11 lead before the Greyhounds rallied on an 8-0 run with three service aces from Rae Sapiga. Senior Makayla Mayfield took over service for the Pioneers, putting together a five-point run with two service aces before reaching set point on a block from Ranes and freshman Trixie Oche. Sophomore Paris Cosley landed the final kill for the Pioneers, leading them to a 25-21 victory.

"We talked about it in the huddle at 17-17, we play a lot of situational-competition games in practice where we're 17-17 or 20-20, so that's a situation we're in all the time, so while I was impressed with our composure, I wasn't terribly surprised because it was something we worked on a lot," Huebner said. "Makayla went on a huge serving run after that, so that was a great example of a senior using that experience."

The flow of the match continued to ebb in the third set, with the Pioneers sinking to a -.103 hitting percent to the Greyhounds' .292, and racking up 10 attack errors with only seven kills. ENMU held an eleven-point lead from a run with three service aces before Cosley took control of the Texas Woman's offense and registered three kills. Still, the Pioneers were behind by 14 points by the time Desiray Anderson nailed her final kill for the set for the Greyhounds, 11-25.

"We had struggles the whole match," Huebner added. "It was a tough environment and sometimes things aren't going for you, but you've got to figure out how to win anyway. Credit to our team, they really hung in it and I think that was key."

The fourth set stayed largely neck and neck until the 17-18 mark, when TWU went on a seven-point run to set point with kills from Ranes, Cosley and Courtney Noel, as well as a service ace from Mayfield. Unable to capitalize on the set point, it was Ranes who received the ball from the Greyhounds' serve and quickly pushed it over the net before ENMU could react, tying the match up at two sets apiece with the 25-19 win.

Entering the fifth set, the Greyhounds scored the first kill but the Pioneers rebutted with a four-point run thanks to kills from Cosley, Frederick and Mayfield. Possessions started stretching out as both squads sought to prevent a lost point, but the Noel sisters kept putting up points with kills and blocks. Eastern New Mexico stuck to their strong defense towards the end, putting up four blocks in the shortened set, but a final kill by freshman Taylor Frederick off the assist from Ranes ended the set, 15-11, and gave the Pioneers the victory after a roller coaster match.

"One of the things that we talked about was staying aggressive and making good choices," Huebner said. "Courtney didn't have the match she thought she would have, but she showed up great for us in the end, and when we get play out of Jones and French defensively, that gives us the way to win every match. It's hard to overstate what they did for us."

Caroline Noel, who hit .333, topped the game in kills with a season-high 16. Ranes continued her streak of double-doubles with 42 assists and 18 digs. The Pioneers put up 183 attacks to the Greyhounds' 156, and hit for .060 to .083.

"Katy did a real good job of making decisions and continuing to try new things and figuring out what would work for us at that time and making adjustments," Huebner said. "Caroline continues to be one of the best middles in the last 10 games in this conference. We're really proud of her and the work she's put in all year, and it's really coming to fruition for her here at the end of the season."

Defensively, junior Bailey French led all players with 31 digs, which gives her 663 for the season and a new school record (Heather Marcus, 656 in 2006). The Pioneers had nine blocks in the match to the Greyhounds' 14.

"(French) had a great weekend for us," Huebner said. "I can't overstate the excitement we've had for her this weekend, and we're very proud of her and all she's done in this program."

TWU currently sits in fifth place in the LSC standings tied with Texas A&M-Kingsville. Once all league games are completed Saturday evening, the LSC will announce seedings and opponents. The 2018 LSC Volleyball Championship Tournament will be held in Stephenville at the home of the league champion Tarleton State, Nov. 8-10.