On Wednesday night New Mexico Military Institute defeated Clarendon College 3-1 in the Cahoon Armory Gym. With the conference win, NMMI improves to 7-2 in conference play with a 19-7 overall record. With the setback, Clarendon dips to 22-8 overall with a 2-7 record in conference play.

SET 1

After going down 1-3, the Broncos used defense to tie the set at 3-3 after Anniston Lustig blocked an attack by the Bulldogs. A few points later, Kae Sato recorded her lone ace of the night to give NMMI a 6-3 lead. Clarendon was forced to call a timeout after Anniston Lustig blasted a kill over the net.

The Broncos grew their advantage to a 12-7 lead with the help of one of Drianyeliz Ramos Cora's seven kills in the evening. With the help of a pair of kills by Xiomara Cobian, NMMI took a commanding 16-9 lead in the first set.

Clarendon would produce a 4-0 run to cut into the NMMI lead as the score was 16-13. However, the Broncos finished the set with a 9-7 as they held on to win the first set 25-20.

SET 2

The second set was tightly contested. After being tied at 4-4, NMMI took a 10-5 lead as Leila Ayala tallied one of her 11 kills in the evening. Clarendon did not shy away as they battled their way back and found some momentum when the score was tied 13-13.

Both teams traded points as the set was tied once again at 15-15 and a few points later at 19-19 – forcing an NMMI timeout. Following the timeout, the visiting team took a 23-21 lead but the Broncos still would not quit.

With the help of an attack by Michelle Mlikan the set was once again tied, this time the score was 23-23. Clarendon was able to close out the set as they earned the final two points to secure the second set narrowly 25-23.

SET 3

Looking for revenge, the Broncos took a quick 7-4 lead after Daicy Benites Franco recorded one of her three kills on the night. A few points later, Leila Ayala recorded a service ace to give NMMI a 11-6 advantage.

With the help of a pair of kills by Michelle Mlikan, NMMI took a 16-8 lead. From that point on it was all Broncos. With a pair of kills by Leila Ayala and Maria Konwerska the Broncos closed out the third set on a 9-3 run as they took the third set 25-12.

SET 4

The Broncos went up 3-0 to start the final set but Clarendon looked to extend the match as they tied the set at 3-3. After a couple service errors by the Bulldogs, the Broncos forced a timeout after they took an 8-5 lead. The Bulldogs stayed close as they made it a 10-9 match after a service error by NMMI.

For the next few points, no team was able to establish rhythm as the set was tied 11-11 and a few points later at 13-13. After a defensive block by the Broncos gave them a 17-13 lead, the home team found their rhythm and settled in. Drianyeliz Ramos Cora gave NMMI a 21-17 lead with her lone service ace in the evening.

Daicy Benites Franco had her attack deflected by the Clarendon defenders but it wasn't enough as they ball went out of bounds and the Broncos took a 23-18 lead. Clarendon was able to earn some points but the comeback fell short as Leila Ayala recorded her 11th kill of the night to secure the final set 25-21 and the match 3-1.

Head Coach Shelby Forchtner on the win, "It's always nice to come back and win a game after you lose one, especially when you haven't lost a game at home in a really long time. I'm glad we were able to bounce back and get the win," Forchtner said. "you have to be able to win on the road in the conference just like you do at home … Frank Phillips is one of the better teams in our conference so we're going to have to be prepared, it's a hard place to play… all three of these next road matches were going to have to stay focused but we're more than capable of finishing out conference play strong," Forchtner said.

UP NEXT

The Broncos return to action on Saturday, October 18 as they take on No. 16 Frank Phillips College at 2:00 p.m. CDT in Borger, TX.