SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Midwestern State finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 4-6 record after defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville in the Lone Star Conference Challenge, 3-1. The conference campaign begins with the 680-mile trek to face Western New Mexico on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT, and the Mustangs will visit Sul Ross State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Midwestern State has won two of its last three matches, including the win over the Javelinas in Edmond, Oklahoma last week. Isabella Dickens had 21 kills and hit .429 in the victory. Dickens also had a solo block and finished with three blocks total along with Jaiden Wright. Nyle Mathis had 14 kills and hit .371 for the Mustangs, who hit .229 as a team.

Midwestern State is third in the LSC with 13.3 kills per set, and the Mustangs are sixth in the league with a hitting percentage of .218. MSU is second in the conference with 12.3 assists per set.

Macy Scheer leads the team with 7.2 assists per set, which is seventh most in the conference. Maxime Pheasant is 14th in the LSC with 5.1 assists per set.

Dickens has the eighth-best hitting percentage in the league at .322, and Wright is 18th in the conference with a .284 hitting percentage. 

Remi Madison leads the team in attacks with nearly eight per set, which is 19th-most in the LSC. 

Jenna Redding is accounting for 3.5 digs per set, and the team is averaging 14.4 digs per set. Redding is 12th in the conference, and the team has the 10th most digs in the league.

Opponents are hitting .255 against Midwestern State through the first 10 matches of the season, and the Mustangs are 18th in the conference with 1.1 blocks per set.

WESTERN NEW MEXICO (6-5)

Western New Mexico leads the all-time series with the MSU Mustangs, 15-8, but Midwestern State won two of the last three meetings, including a straight-set triumph last year at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Wright had eight kills on 14 swings and hit .571 in the win. Dickens had four blocks and Wright had two blocks. Both Dickens and Wright recorded a solo block. 

Midwestern State seeks its first win in Silver City. The MSU Mustangs have made eight visits to Drag's Court. MSU played its first five-set match in Silver City in 2024, when the Western Mustangs rallied from a 2-1 deficit after winning the first set, 25-22, and took the decisive fifth set, 15-12.

Western New Mexico lost its first three matches of the season before defeating University of Mary at the U Mary Volleyball Invitational, which started a five-match winning streak for the Western Mustangs, winning all four matches at the Meadow City Classic. WNMU only dropped one set during the event in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Adams State snapped the Western Mustangs winning streak with a 3-0 victory in Silver City, which was the home opener for WNMU. 

Western New Mexico played the LSC Challenge in Dallas and swept Cameron in its first match before falling to Dallas Baptist at Burg Center, 3-0.

Daphne Posthumus leads WNMU with 3.2 points and 2.5 kills per set. Posthumus, a 6-3 middle hitter, is seventh in the conference with a hitting percentage of .324. The Western Mustangs are hitting .228 as a team, which is fifth-best in the LSC.

Hannah Haggard leads WNMU with 4.8 assists per set, and the Western Mustangs are 15th in the conference with 10.6 assists per set.

Posthumus is second in the LSC with 1.2 blocks per set, and the Western Mustang leads the league with 2.4 blocks per set, which is 14th among NCAA Division II programs. Only West Texas A&M has more total blocks than WNMU in the LSC. WNMU has 94 total blocks, and the Buffaloes have 99.

Western New Mexico is 17th in the conference in digs with 12.7 per set, and Mikelle McAfee leads the team with 3.7 digs per set. 

SUL ROSS STATE (0-10)

Sul Ross State is playing its first home match of the year on Thursday as Lubbock Christian visits the Gallego Center before the Mustangs arrive on Saturday. The Lobos have a 20-match losing streak, dating back to last season. The last win was on Oct. 16, when Sul Ross State defeated Eastern New Mexico in straight sets.

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with Sul Ross State, 12-4, and has won the last five meetings, all in straight sets.

Last year at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, the Mustangs boasted a .378 hitting percentage, recording 44 kills, while Sul Ross State struggled with a .080 hitting percentage. MSU prevailed 25-11, 25-15, 25-11. Giselle Cazares delivered two of the seven aces served up by the Mustangs. Cazares also had eight of the 48 digs in the victory.

Sul Ross State is coming off a five-set loss to Eastern New Mexico at the LSC Challenge in Laredo. The Lobos fell short against the Greyhounds, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 32-30, 15-10. Sul Ross State outhit the Greyhounds for the match .256 - .200. 

Freshman Antyiahna from Brenham, Texas, leads the Lobos with 89.5 points and 2.44 kills per set. She is hitting .268 for the Lobos, who are hitting .113 as a team. 

Opponents are hitting .283 against Sul Ross State, which is 15th in the conference with 1.4 blocks per set and 18th in the league with 11.3 digs per set.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State begins a three-game homestand on Sept. 25, when St. Edward's visits D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a 6 p.m. match. St. Mary's visits on the following day, and West Texas A&M travels to Wichita Falls on Sept. 29.