Oct. 30, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — It was a see-saw battle all night, but the University of New Mexico came up short against Utah at Crimson Court, losing 3-1 against the second-place Utes. New Mexico is now 17-5 overall and 7-4 in Mountain West Conference play, while Utah improves to 16-5 and 8-2.
The Lobos were down 22-16 in the first before Sarah Kwasigroch held serve and pushed UNM to within one at 22-21. Anna Lehne had two big kills during the run. But the Lobos could not hold on and lost 25-22. Lehne led the Lobos with six kills in the set.
Utah took a 15-7 lead in the second set. The Lobos chipped away at the Utes lead, closing to within two at 23-21. Kills by Emillie Toone and Lori Baird gave Utah a 2-0 lead with a 25-21 win.
In the third set, New Mexico came out stronger and took a 13-6 lead. The Utes returned the favor and chipped away at the Lobo lead, 21-20. The teams exchanged kills the rest of the way with Jeanne Fairchild putting down the set-winning kill, 25-23.
The fourth set was a battle as neither team was able to accumulate larger than a three-point lead. The Lobos had the largest lead at 13-10 on a Fairchild kill. A Baird kill gave the ball back to Utah. Baird served the Utes to a 14-13 lead, Utah’s first lead of the set since 3-2. The teams tied eight more times with the final one at 24-24. A Ute kill and a UNM hitting error gave Utah the match, 26-24.
Fairchild led both teams with 23 kills, while Utah’s Baird had 22. Jade Michaelsen had 42 assists, while Gayle Tripp and Allison Buck had 12 digs each. Lehne led the Lobos with five blocks.
The Lobos continue the two-match road trip at BYU on Saturday, Nov. 1. Match time in Provo is set for 7 p.m. The match can be watched live on BYU-TV.