Oct. 22, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Senior Nicole Ryan hit a team-high .371 and recorded her second consecutive double-double (13 kills and 12 digs) leading the New Mexico volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Colorado State. The win ended an 18-match losing streak to the Rams dating back to 1994.
“This was a great effort for our team,” head coach Kelley McKee said. “We have been looking for a breakthrough and this is it. This win gives us the confidence to get in the practice gym and be more deciplined. As a team they are trying to find their rhythm and trust each other.”
Colorado State came out firing, hitting .625 (18K-3E-24TA) in game one, taking a 30-18 victory. The Rams started the game with a 4-0 run and never looked back with their biggest lead at 10 points (20-10). Mekana Barnes had a team-high five kills, hitting .833 (5K-0E-6TA) while Tonya Mokelki and Casey Bauer were perfect, going 4-for-4 and 3-for-3, respectively. Ryan hit .400 (4K-0E-10TA) in the opening game as did senior Chelsea Sondrup (3K-1E-5TA).
Sophomore Samie Weber and freshman Sarah Kwasigroch sparked a 7-2 run to open game two. The Lobos extended their lead to seven (17-10), forcing six CSU errors. Overall, New Mexico forced 15 Ram errors, holding them to a negative .119 hitting percentage for a 30-22 win. Sondrup hit .400 (2K-0E-5TA) with a block while Weber had a team-high three kills and two blocks. Ryan also chipped in with two kills and an ace.
The Rams’ Tess Rogers and Downs gave CSU an early 5-4 lead before a roaring 2,123 fans came alive, urging the Lobos to action. New Mexico responded to the crowd’s demands, stringing together a 16-3 run for a 23-10 lead. Colorado State tried to rally but it was too little too late as the Lobos grabbed a 2-1 lead with the 30-20 victory. The team hit .360 (11K-2E-25TA) compared to CSU’s .107 (14K-11E-28TA). Ryan hit .500 with four kills while Sondrup hit .400 with three kills. Both recorded two blocks in game three.
Game four started with the teams trading points but it was only a matter of time before the Lobos kicked it up a notch, refusing to play a game five. With the score tied at 15, junior Kelly Therkelsen slammed down two kills and two blocks putting UNM out in front, 21-16. The team made a huge defensive stop, forcing six CSU errors to hold on for a 30-26 win.
Ryan had three blocks, one assist and one ace to accompany her team-highs for kills (13), attempts (35), digs (12) and hit percentage (.371). Sondrup had eight kills and four blocks while Therkelsen, Weber and freshman Michelle Miller added six kills apiece. Weber and Therkelsen tied for a team-best five blocks. Kwasigroch dished out 32 of UNM’s 33 assists.
“As a senior, Nicole has really carried the load for us,” McKee said. “It’s really nice to see her hit .371 and have a double-double and feel good about her game because she has been struggling.”
For Colorado State, Barnes had a team-high 14k kills, hitting .348 with two blocks. Rogers, Bauer and Downs chipped in with 12 kills apiece. Ashley Fornstrom had 53 of CSU’s 58 assists.
“Against Wyoming we did some really good things,” McKee said. “It was just a matter of us stringing things together and tonight we got to do that. We executed the game plan, took out Colorado State’s outside hitter, made them pass and hit and they fell apart.”
The Lobos improve to 12-8 overall, 4-6 in the Mountain West Conference while the Rams drop to 12-5 overall, 5-2 in the MWC.
New Mexico heads to the West Coast, taking on San Diego State Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The next day they visit UNLV, taking the court at 8 p.m. Live stats are available for both matches.