Sept. 23, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico volleyball team battled with the 22nd-ranked BYU Cougars but fell shy of an upset, losing 3-2 at the Johnson Center this evening. The Lobos, 8-3 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West Conference, are just one win away from tying the total wins for 2004 and are two wins from tying the high under head coach Kelley McKee.
BYU took command in game one, hitting .226. The Cougars never faulted, cruising to a 30-18 win. Chelsea Goodman and Erica Lott combined for six of BYU’s 12 kills. Senior Nicole Ryan hit a team high .625, putting down five kills.
New Mexico turned the tables in game two, jumping out to a 17-7 lead on eight errors from the Cougars. Lott brought BYU back to within four (21-17) forcing a UNM timeout. The Lobos responded well, getting three kills from Ryan and two from junior Kelly Therkelsen and sophomore Samie Weber for a 30-27 win. UNM hit .389 (19K-5E-36TA), which was its best percentage of the match.
The Cougars started game three with a 3-0 lead and never relinquished it, winning 30-20. Goodman put down eight kills while Lindsy Hartsock added six, including the final three of the game. Senior Chelsea Sondrup had four kills and Ryan had three to lead UNM.
Freshman Gayle Tripp, switching over to the Libero prior to the game, sparked a UNM comeback. The Lobos were down 3-6 when Tripp stepped up to serve, recording two aces and an attack error to even the game. With the score tied at 11, Weber went back to serve, getting two ballhandling errors and an ace to give UNM the lead. BYU was trailing by four when Hartsock and Amy Schlauder ignited a run, evening the game at 20. New Mexico regained possession of the serve, putting the ball in Tripp’s hands. She forced three aces and two attack errors, putting UNM on top for good as the Lobos went on for a 30-27 win.
BYU came out red-hot in game five, but held just a two-point lead at 9-7 before Lauren Evans took the serve and held it for a 15-7 win. BYU hit .727 (8K-0E-11TA), getting three kills from Lott and two from Hartsock. BYU stays undefeated at 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the MWC. Two of UNM’s six kills came from freshman Michelle Miller.
Ryan put down a team-high 19 kills and hit a team-best .359 (19K-5E-39TA). Sondrup added 12 kills and three blocks while Weber chipped in 11 kills and tied for a team-high with five blocks. Therkelsen also had five blocks to accompany her eight kills. Sophomore Kim Cox led the Lobos in digs (11) and freshman Sarah Kwasigroch dished out 51 of UNM’s 54 assists.
New Mexico returns to the court tomorrow night at 7 p.m., hosting Utah (9-3, 1-0 MWC). The match is also Lobo Luau Night, sponsored by KISS 97.3.