Laredo, Texas – Texas A&M International volleyball fought hard in their Lone Star Conference opener Friday night but fell 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 21-25, 14-25) to Eastern New Mexico.

The Dustdevils were led offensively by Mia Molina, who tallied nine kills along with nine digs, while Caitlyn Cornell added seven kills and three blocks at the net. Sierra Sanchez and Danea King each chipped in five kills to help pace the attack.

Defensively, Samantha Estrada anchored the back row with a match-high 28 digs, and Sierra Sanchez contributed 13 digs of her own as TAMIU finished with 78 digs as a team. Natalia Cisneros directed the offense with 13 assists while also serving up two aces and collecting 10 digs.

Despite dropping the opening set in extra points, the Dustdevils rallied in the second behind key swings from Molina and Sanchez to even the match. Eastern New Mexico responded with two straight set wins to close out the contest.

TAMIU moves to 2-8 overall (0-1 LSC) and now turns its focus to a nationally ranked opponent. The Dustdevils return to action on Saturday afternoon when they host No. 10 West Texas A&M at 2 p.m. inside the KCB.