Nov. 10, 2009
Up Next In Lobo Volleyball
Match 27
at UNLV Nov. 12 8 p.m. (MT)
Cox Pavilion Las Vegas, Nev.
This Week … The Lobos (18-8, 9-5 MWC) take a single-match midweek trip to Las Vegas to play UNLV on Thursday night at Cox Pavilion.
If You Can’t Make It To Vegas … Fans can follow along on the internet at GoLobos.com with Gametracker. Assistant media relations director Judy Willson will twitter during the match at www.twitter.com/jwillson10.
Next Week … The Lobos play one match on the road at TCU on Friday, Nov. 20. The match will be shown, tape delayed, on The Mtn.
QUICK HITS
Lobos Among Tops In Attendance … New Mexico is currently ranked 24th in the nation with a final 2009 home attendance average of 1,677 fans this season. It is the only time that the Lobos have had over 1,000 fans at every match during a single season. The 1996 team started the season with seven consecutive matches over 1,000. The Lobos’ season-high for 2009 was 2,613 vs. BYU on Nov. 7, the final home match of the regular season. MWC member Colorado State is ranked 20th overall with an average of 1,819 fans per match. Rankings are updated on Monday mornings, courtesy of Diane Nordstrom at the University of Wisconsin.
Official NCAA RPI … New Mexico is currently ranked 41st in the nation in the NCAA’s official RPI, as of Monday, Nov. 9. The Lobos have the third-highest RPI ranking in the Mountain West Conference behind Colorado State (16) and TCU (35).
Lehne Named MWC Co-Player of the Week, Again … Senior Anna Lehne earned Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row, sharing the honor with TCU’s Kourtney Edwards, also for the second week in a row. Lehne earned the honor for her combined performance against Utah and BYU to move UNM closer to third place in the MWC. Lehne became the second Lobo to earn Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors in 2009 on Nov. 2 for her performances at Air Force and San Diego State. It was her first MWC accolade. Sophomore Ashley Rhoades earned MWC honors, along with Kourtney Edwards of TCU, on Oct. 5 for her home performance against San Diego State and Air Force.
About New Mexico (18-8, 9-5 MWC) … UNM went 4-0 on the season when wearing the new pink Nike jerseys. UNM hosted Utah on Nov. 5 for the Lobos’ Think Pink Night in conjunction with UNM Hospital and the UNM Cancer Center. The Lobos won three big road matches wearing their new pink Nike jerseys on opponents’ breast cancer awareness matches – at Utah, at New Mexico State and at Air Force … Another losing streak came to an end on Oct. 13 as the Lobos beat New Mexico State, 3-0 in Las Cruces, 10-match overall and 8-match road losing streaks … The Lobos beat Utah, 3-1, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the first win for UNM on Crimson Court since 1996 and with the home win on Nov. 5, swept the home-and-home series for the first time since 1996 … UNM picked up its first MWC win of the season at Wyoming on Sept. 26 (3-1) and won three straight after an 0-2 start … Senior Rose Morris made her return to the court after a finger injury on Oct. 3 against Air Force with 11 kills over two sets. Morris missed seven matches, during which the Lobos were 3-4 … Junior Taylor Hadfield leads the team with 2.78 kills per set, one of five players with 2.12 or more kps on the season … Junior Jade Michaelsen leads UNM in assists with 10.35 per set … Junior Lisa Meeter has the most service aces this season with 26 … On defense, sophomore Allison Buck leads the Lobos with a 4.08 digs per set average, while senior Anna Lehne and sophomore Ashley Rhoades lead UNM in blocking with 1.09 and 1.08 per set, respectively … UNM placed third at the Arizona Invitational. Jade Michaelsen was named to the all-tournament team … UNM finishes second at the 2009 Comcast Lobo Challenge to now-No. 22 Baylor. Michaelsen and Morris were named to the all-tournament team … UNM won the 2009 Nike Portland Invitational with wins over American and Portland. Michaelsen was named MVP of the tournament, while Meeter and Buck were named to the all-tournament team … UNM won the 2009 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic to begin the season. It is the third season in a row the Lobos have started the season 3-0 and won the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Lehne was named the tournament MVP, and joined by Michaelsen and Buck on the all-tournament team … The Lobos were picked third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, the same place they finished the 2008 season. The big difference this season is UNM earned three first-place votes from the voting panel of coaches and media … Junior setter Jade Michaelsen was named MWC Preseason Co-Player of the Year by the same voting group … Michaelsen and Morris are the team captains for 2009.
About UNLV (7-14, 4-8 MWC; UNLV leads the series 16-8) … The Rebels took a 3-0 win away from Albuquerque three weeks ago on Oct. 17. Cursty Jackson led UNLV with 17 kills and six blocks in the match. Jackson is the Rebel leader in kills per set at 3.33 and blocks at 0.99 per set.
Senior Night Sets Season Attendance Mark Passing Jam Johnson … 2,613 fans showed up at the Johnson Center on Nov. 7 to bid farewell to the three Lobo seniors – Anna Lehne, Rose Morris and Allie Suiter – and watch the Lobos beat BYU. It passed the mark of 2,338 fans who showed up for Jam Johnson 2009 on Oct. 1 vs. San Diego State. UNM averaged 1,677 fans over 14 home matches in 2009, currently ranking 24th in the nation. It is the only time the Lobos have recorded over 1,000 fans in every match of the season.
UNM Average Attendance Top 10 (1996-partial 1999 in University Arena/The Pit)
Year Total Average1. 1991 28,190 2,3492. 1992 27,237 1,7023. 2009 23,477 1,6774. 1995 22,915 1,6365. 1990 20,493 1,5766. 2008 20,408 1,5707. 1996 23,274 1,5528. 1994 19,770 1,4129. 1993 19,138 1,27610. 1997 13,489 1,226
Setting Records … Junior setter Jade Michaelsen has moved into the Top 5 on the UNM career assists list. Michaelsen cracked the Top 10 on the UNM career assists list during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Michaelsen, from Tucson, Ariz., took over fifth place on the list in the first set of the Utah match on Nov. 5, passing Monica Meihack (2,840; 2002-04) and former Lobo All-American Karen Saavedra-Warnock (2,845; 1985-88). Moving into fourth place will take 232 assists to pass Jocelyn Funk (3,153; 1983-86).
UNM Career Assists
1. Janelle Torres 3,794 1996-992. Alicia Bergmann 3,283 1992-953. Sharon Browning 3,214 1989-924. Jocelyn Funk 3,153 1983-865. Jade Michaelsen 2,922 2007-present6. Karen Saavedra-Warnock 2,845 1985-887. Monica Meihack 2,840 2002-048. Sarah Kwasigroch 2,634 2005-099. Gretchen Gegenfurtner 2,193 1993-9610. Kelly Griffin 2,096 1999-01