As American Southwest Conference play looms on the horizon, the Sul Ross State volleyball team is trying to prepare for the marathon that lies ahead.

On Tuesday night, in front of an electric crowd, the Lobos swept the University of the Southwest, 25-19, 25-10, 25-9, during the home opener at the Gallego Center.

The Lobos experimented with three different lineups each set. The offense had plenty of big moments.

"I think our offense was doing really well. Our defense was one that struggled a little bit," said Sul Ross head coach Troy Canaba. "We gave up some easy little points. We got to clean all that stuff up to be able to compete at this level."

Sul Ross jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the opening set after a kill from Victoria Flores.

The Mustangs came back to trail within three, but the Lobos were able to fend them off by finishing on a 3-0 run that included a kill by Taryn Griner to claim the set.

During the second set, Sul Ross reeled off a dominating 12-0 run to lead 22-9. Tatyana Colon had three straight service aces while Annika Canaba and Sarah Chavez tallied some clutch kills during the big rally.

University of the Southwest ended the run with a kill Alexia Esparza to get into double digits in the scoring column, but it was too little too late as Sul Ross led by 13 points after a kill from Payton Miller.

Brylee Sweeten and Griner put the finishing touches on the set with a pair of kills to give the Lobos a 2-0 advantage during the match.

Sul Ross trailed 2-0 early in the final set. It was the only time the Mustangs held the lead.

The Lobos then turned things up a notch by going on an 11-0 run to pull away by nine points.

Down the stretch, Sul Ross showed its dominance on offense by putting together a 5-0 run to take the set 25-9, earning the sweep.

Canaba finished with nine kills, 12 assists, one blocked shot and three digs. Faith Herrera led the defense with six digs.

Griner tallied seven kills while Colon and Herrera each had six service aces.

Kamrynn Caruth added with five kills and eight assists.

"It's going to take us a while to gel with the right group and right people," added Troy Canaba. "We tried a lot of people in different places. Overall, I think we're on the right track."

>> RECORDS: Sul Ross (3-2); University of the Southwest (0-6)

>> UP NEXT: The Lobos have two conference matches at the end of the week. Sul Ross travels to Abilene for a 6 p.m. match Friday against McMurry before taking on Hardin-Simmons at 1 p.m. Saturday.