New Mexico Lobos Volleyball – Hosting Utah State & Boise State
Thursday – Lobos vs. Utah State, 6:30 p.m. MT, Johnson Center
Saturday – Lobos vs. Boise State, Noon MT, Johnson Center
Promotions: Saturday’s match will be $3 First Responders Day (APB, AFD, EMT & All Military). Must present valid ID at ticket office.
GoLobos.com – live video, live stats, stats, interviews and recaps.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico volleyball team started off the 2014 conference season going 2-0 on the road. This week they will look for two more wins as they play host to Utah State on Thursday and Boise State on Saturday at Johnson Center.
In last week’s matches the Lobos swept both San Jose State and Nevada. The Lobos claiming the 3-0 sweep over SJSU by scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-12 and over Nevada by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-22.
For the two matches, the Lobos averaged 12.50 kills per set, 11.17 assists per set, 10.83 digs per set and 3.33 blocks per set. Riddle led the way with a total of 27 kills (4.50 kills per set), a .460 hitting percentage, 2.83 digs per set and 1.67 blocks per set on the right side.
On the season, the Lobos are hitting .222 as a team. They have a total of 574 kills, 532 assists, 40 aces, 659 digs and 146 blocks. The 146 blocks is 3.04 per set which ranks ninth in the country. The Lobos are 11th in the country for holding their opponents to a .129 hitting percentage. Over the two matches to start conference, the Lobos collected 75 kills (12.50 kills per set) with a .302 hitting percentage, 67 assists, 65 digs (10.83 per set) and a total of 20 blocks (3.33 per set).
SCOUTING UTAH STATE…The Aggies finished third in the conference last season behind New Mexico with a 13-7 record. In the 2014 Preseason Coaches Poll, they were picked to finish third again. After the first week of conference, the Aggies are off to a 1-1 start, 5-7 overall. They suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 7 Colorado State on Sept. 25 by scores of 22-25, 20-25, 25-23 and 18-25. Utah State bounced back on Saturday to claim a 3-2 victory over Wyoming, 25-19, 25-21, 17-25, 15-25 and 15-9. The Aggies are led by senior outside hitter Rachel Orr and senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Vanhoff. Orr currently has 165 kills with a .175 hitting percentage. Vanhoff is hitting .333 on the season with a total of 133 kills. She is also averaging 1.24 blocks per set. As a team, the Aggies are hitting .182, averaging 11.14 assists per set, 14.90 digs per set and 3.10 blocks per set.
SCOUTING BOISE STATE…The Broncos finished eighth in the Mountain West last season with an 8-12 record. They are currently 8-6 on the season and started league play 1-1. Boise State claimed a 3-1 victory over Wyoming last Thursday by scores of 25-22, 21-25, 25-16 and 25-19. In Saturday’s match with No. 7 Colorado State, the Broncos struggled to capture a set win, dropping three straight sets by scores of 19-25, 17-25 and 22-25. The Broncos are led by Sierra Nobley, Alyssa Gammel and Maddy O’Donnell. Nobley is hitting .276 on the season with 180 kills. Gammel is hitting .156 with 118 kills, 119 digs and 12 service aces. O’Donnell is averaging 1.08 blocks per set while hitting .477 with 115 kills. Boise State is hitting .278 and is averaging 12.88 assists per set, 13.16 digs per and 2.08 blocks per set.
RIDDLE NAMED MW PLAYER OF THE WEEK…Senior right side Chantale Riddle had a career night against San Jose State and recorded her fifth double-double of the season against Nevada to earn Mountain West Player of the Week, her first for this season and her third career weekly honor. Riddle recorded a career-high .600 hitting percentage against SJSU. She tallied 12 kills on 20 attacks with no errors to go along with five blocks and five digs. In the Nevada match she recorded her fifth double-double of the season, collecting 15 kills and 12 digs. She also added five blocks. For the weekend, she averaged 4.50 kills per set which was the best in league the first weekend. She tallied 17 digs and averaged 1.67 blocks per set and 5.58 points per set. Riddle is hitting .286 on the season and averaging 3.72 kills per set which ranks second in the MW. She is also second in blocks with 1.61 per set and first in points with 4.75 per set. Across the country, Riddle ranks ninth in blocks per set, 16th in total blocks (74) and 37th in points per set (4.75).
RIDDLE ON PACE FOR ALL-TIME KILL LEADER…Senior Chantale Riddle is on pace to break the all-time kill record. The record is currently held by Tania Gooley, who played from 1991-94 and tallied a total of 1,579 kills in her career. Riddle started the season with 1,182 and after the opening weekend and collecting a total of 21 kills in the three matches, Riddle moved up to 1,203 total career kills. After the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic, Riddle was up to 1,240 kills. But after the MCM Elegante Lobo Invitational, Riddle owned a total of 1,275 kills after tallying 35. If Riddle has weekends like the SMU tournament, she is definitely going to put up big numbers. She tallied 51 kills for the weekend which moved her total up to 1,326. Her big weekends continue as she tallied 27 total kills in the first two matches of conference against SJSU and Nevada. Her total number of kills on the season is 171, which brings her career total to 1,353. She is now 226 kills away from the record and is third on the all-time.
NELSON ON PACE FOR 400th WIN…Head coach Jeff Nelson picked up his 300th career win on November 27, 2009 and is on pace in 2014 to pick up his 400th win. His 300th win was a 3-1 win at New Orleans. Before the season started, Nelson was 22 wins away from the 400 mark, but with two wins at the Lobo Classic, three wins at the MCM Elegante Lobo Invitational, two wins at the SMU Invite and two wins to start league, Nelson is now just 13 wins away from the 400 club.