Lobos Hold Successful Cherry vs. Silver Exhibition
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With less than a week before the regular season kicks off, the Lobos were looking for some final preparation.
And, behind their veterans and newcomers, they got it.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team hosted a successful intrasquad exhibition Saturday evening at Johnson Center as the Cherry squad swept by the Silver team 25-17, 25-20, 25-16.
With just six days until New Mexico’s regular-season opener at the Cyclone Invitational in Ames, Iowa, the youthful Lobos were aiming to pick up some experience in their first game action of the young 2017 campaign.
“I was actually quite happy with how we played,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We have nine new players. I thought they were nervous … [but] they had to step up and they did.”
Fielding a roster that features nine freshmen and 10 newcomers overall, the Lobos entered Saturday needing some build up their game experience and chemistry.
The Cherry team, largely composed of the team’s projected starters, were able to get some time playing together, while the team’s freshmen saw the court for some of their first collegiate game action.
“I thought the game went well,” sophomore outside hitter Lauren Twitty said. “There are things we need to work on, but overall the energy and effort was good. I think it was a good chance to get the nerves out of the freshmen and to get them some playing time.”
Statistically, Twitty posted the match high in kills for the Cherry squad, logging 16 putaways and two errors on 28 attempts. The only player on both sides to reach double-digit kills, Twitty finished with a .500 hitting percentage, the highest in the match.
However, Cherry teammate Victoria Spragg hit .467 out of the middle, with nine kills and five total blocks. Mariessa Carrasco (seven kills), Carly Beddingfield (four) and freshmen Hailey Rubino (four) also contributed offensively for the Cherry team.
“It was really fun coming in for the first time and being able to play against the upperclassmen,” Rubino said. “Our team chemistry is really good and we’ll keep building on that.”
Carson Heilborn dished out a match-high 34 assists, while Ashley Kelsey (18 digs), Rubino (nine) and Heilborn (seven) paced the Cherry team’s floor defense.
“There were actually some really good performances,” Nelson said. “Ashley Kelsey, Victoria Spragg and Lauren Twitty all had big numbers.”
On the Silver’s side — which featured all freshmen plus volunteer assistant Ricardo Sanchez — Nicolette Clark led the way with seven kills, with Yasmin Tan (five kills) and Abbey Willison (three) also producing offensively.
Sarah Lobo tallied 17 assists for the Silver team, while Sanchez and Tan each notched eight digs. Kayla Long also chipped in six digs.
The first set opened with the Cherry team taking a 10-3 lead behind Kelsey’s serving and back-to-back kills by Beddingfield. The Silver team cut the lead down to three points at 18-15, but the Cherry side responded with seven of the final nine points, winning the first set 25-17.
The Silver team started the second frame more evenly, forging an 8-8 tie through 16 serves. However, the Cherry team edged ahead 14-10 as Twitty logged a pair of kills.
Eventually, the Silver team would force ties at 16-all, 17-all and 18-all, but the Cherry squad pulled away late, scoring the final four points of the set for a 25-20 win.
The third set started similarly to the second, with an 8-8 tie. But kills by Twitty and Silver team errors gave the Cherry team an 18-10 lead, which they rode to a 25-16 win.
The Lobos open their season next week at the Cyclone Invitational in Ames, Iowa. New Mexico takes the court first on at 3 p.m. MT vs. Nebraska Omaha before playing Kent State and host Iowa State on Saturday.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!