St. Edward’s women’s volleyball team was victorious against the Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) Greyhounds on Oct. 7, winning the match in a 3-0 sweep.
“Before the game, I thought ENMU was a team that had some offensive threats that we really had to focus on,” player Jasmine Williams said. “As a team, we talked about trying to force them out of system to release some pressure for all of us.”
In the first set, the Hilltoppers took an early lead and maintained their momentum. They won the set with a lead of six points against the Greyhounds.
The second set started off a little shaky. Setter Jordan Chapman seemed to be having an off game at first, missing digs that allowed the Greyhounds to pull ahead slightly at the start of the set. However, Chapman turned it around and racked up 18 assists and nine digs.
The Greyhound’s lead didn’t last long, but the match remained close. The Hilltoppers were able to pull ahead significantly with key digs made by the libero, Sarah Konovodoff. The front hitters pulled successful fake-outs at the net. One hitter would leap up just before the other, confusing the opponents as to which attacker was going to hit the ball back across the net. The Hilltoppers won the second set by 12 points, the largest lead of the match.
The third and final set also had a shaky start. In under five minutes, the Greyhounds scored five points in a row before Hilltoppers got a single point, resulting in coach Jared Te’o calling for a quick break. The pep talk seemed to work because 10 minutes later, the Hilltoppers steadily clawed their way back to a tie. After that, they maintained a lead of roughly two points for the rest of the match.
As each team’s score inched closer to 25, there was a rising intensity from both teams. The Greyhounds, knowing this was their last chance to save the game, began hitting and diving for the ball with greater force than before. The Hilltopers matched their energy, riding on their victory in the last two sets.
“I think a big success for us was serving aggressively and our defense both in the front and back row,” Williams said.
Once again, Konovodoff made decisive digs, 20 total for the match. The Hilltoppers narrowly won the set by two points.
“It’s not easy to beat the same team twice in one season, and we just did that,” player Jaiden Lavanway said.
St. Edward’s faces off against St. Mary’s University in another home game on Oct. 11.
