Oct. 29, 2008
Lobo Volleyball
Thursday: Lobos at Utah
When/Where: 7 p.m., Salt Lake City
Saturday: Lobos at BYU
When/Where: 7 p.m., Provo (BYU-TV)
By Richard Stevens, Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
If you had to throw out a theme or two for the University of New Mexico Lobos in their charge through the second half of the Mountain West Conference volleyball season, “payback” definitely would make the list.
The payback list is simple enough to read: Payback to TCU for losing on the Horned Frogs’ court; payback for Colorado State for allowing CSU to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat in Fort Collins; and payback for Utah for allowing the Utes to beat the Lobos in Johnson Center.
The Lobos get their first shot at payback Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
“We all remember that game,” said Lobo Anna Lehne of the loss to Utah in Albuquerque. “We’ll be going up there to change things around. Make things go the opposite way.”
The Utes came into Johnson Center on Oct. 4 and whipped the Lobos 3-1. UNM appeared poised to turn that match around when the Lobos came out of the break and pounded Utah, 25-13. But the Utes pulled out of a 17-all tie in the fourth set to beat the Lobos 25-21. Lobo coach Jeff Nelson called the game a “disappointment” and criticized his Lobos for lack of energy in the contest. Since that loss, UNM has won 4-of-5, but the lone loss came in Fort Collins, Colo., when UNM let CSU off the ropes.
The visit to Utah definitely gives the Lobos their shot at payback, but Nelson also labels the game as “an opportunity” to decorate UNM’s belt with another win over a nationally-respected opponent. The Utes are 7-2 in the MWC and receiving votes in the national poll.
“It’s going to be tough,” Nelson said of winning at Utah. “I think Utah is a really good team. We’ll have to be at our best to have success.”
The Lobos’ trip to the state of Utah includes a 7 p.m. Saturday match at BYU in Provo, Utah. The Lobos swept the Cougars 3-0 on Oct. 2 in Johnson Center. Nelson said one advantage to this trip is that the Utes and the Cougars have similar styles of play.
“When we prepare for one, it’s kind of like preparing for the other,” he said “There are some differences, but it’s not significantly different. But it’s a tough road trip. We know we have to get up there and take care of business.”
Nelson has been outspoken throughout the MWC season about the need for UNM to establish itself as one of the top three teams in the league because Nelson is betting that three teams from the MWC are locks to go to the NCAA Tournament. He says the No. 4 team in the MWC might be sitting on a thin bubble with the NCAA selection committee.
The Lobos head to Utah at 7-3 which places them ahead of 6-4 TCU and 6-4 UNLV and behind 7-2 Utah and 8-1 Colorado State. The Lobos still have some work to do as the Oct. 27 NCAA RPI list had CSU at No. 11, Utah at No. 17, UNLV at No. 58 and UNM at No. 71. A sweep in Utah would do much to put a final stamp on the Lobos as one of the MWC’s top three teams. The Lobos also have beaten UNLV twice this season in 3-set sweeps.
In eyeing his Lobos future on the volleyball court, Nelson really doesn’t look beyond the next foe. Like all coaches, he is a one-game-at-a-time strategist and he knows his Lobos will have to be focused and energized to beat the Utes at home. But Nelson also is a coach willing to peer over the horizon at what is on the way.
And he sees a few more shots at quality wins beyond Utah: CSU’s Nov. 6 visit and a Nov. 28 visit by a respected New Mexico State program that boasts a 9-1 mark in the Western Athletic Conference.
“We have some opportunities to pick up a couple of really significant wins,” said Nelson.
The Lobos enter the Utah match playing pretty solid volleyball. UNM has won 14 of its past 17 matches and have three straight 3-0 wins. The Utes are 10-2 in their past 12 games and also are playing good volleyball. The crowd might not be much of a factor in Salt Lake City. The Utes average 492 fans (UNM averages 1,500), but Utah is 7-1 at home with the lone loss to then No. 15-ranked Purdue.
“It’s definitely the time when we’ve got to turn it up,” said Nelson. “Nerves (show) up a little bit, but it’s what you do. It’s what it’s about.”
Editor’s note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous articles are available at The Richard Stevens Corner.