New Mexico vs. LSU & TCU — Phoenix, Ariz.
When: Sunday, March 8
Who: LSU at 11:30 a.m., TCU at 3:30 p.m.
Where: GCU Sand Courts in Phoenix
There’s been anticipation and excitement since the announcement of the addition of sand volleyball six months ago.
And now, after all of the waiting, it’s time to play.
The University of New Mexico sand volleyball team is opening the competition phase of its inaugural season as it faces LSU and TCU Sunday in Phoenix in the first-ever matches for the new program.
The Lobos will finally get into the sand for intercollegiate competition this weekend with their eyes set on gaining both experience and victories at the GCU Sand Courts on the campus of Grand Canyon University.
“I want to see us really going after it, really competing and really seeing what we’ve got,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “I think it’s a good day for us. I think it affords us some opportunities to win some matches.”
The Lobos, who are starting the university’s 22nd intercollegiate sport and first since 1993, have designs on establishing a program and challenging in the NCAA’s fastest-growing sport.
With 50 teams slated to sponsor sand volleyball in 2015, the NCAA has promoted the sport to a championships sport, and New Mexico can gain its foothold as the phenomenon continues to grow.
But, for the program’s opening weekend, the Lobos are just aiming for experience.
“I think this first weekend, it’s a coin toss,” Nelson said. “But I think that’s fun. We’ll see what we’ve got.”
The Lobos head into its first-ever set of matches with a talented lineup, but very little competitive experience in the sand.
Excepting practices, New Mexico hasn’t formally competed. Nonetheless, that isn’t fazing the dauntless players on Nelson’s first roster.
“I think they’re all ready to play hard,” Nelson said. “And our indoor team is very good, and these kids are used to success so they’re going to battle hard and get after it.”
Structured similarly to doubles tennis, sand volleyball features five doubles, and the Lobos have assembled a strong opening lineup.
The top four pairs for this weekend are set, but Nelson notes that there’s tremendous parity among the top four and that the lineup might change in the future due to the balance.
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Leading this weekend is the duo of Hannah Johnson and Chloe Crappell, which features UNM’s starting setter on the court team with a freshman sand-only player.
In the No. 2 doubles are Ashley Kelsey and Devanne Sours, two of the eight crossover players from New Mexico’s strong court volleyball team. Ashley Newman, the team’s captain, and Lise Rugland take the No. 3 spot, followed by Julia Warren and Eastyn Baleto in the fourth position.
Rounding out New Mexico’s lineup are Sara Weber and Maddie Mayfield, along with Sami Reynolds and Jackie Baro. Those duos will each play in one of the two matches this weekend and in an exhibition match.
And while the pairings for this weekend are unlikely to remain the same from match to match, the players are benefiting from switching up partners.
“The girls have trained hard,” Nelson said. “I think they’re doing a good job learning and working with different partners.”
After the first few matches, as UNM begins to form a more solid team identity, Nelson said he and his staff will be “a lot more final with who our groups are.”
But on the other side of the courts, LSU probably won’t have the same growing pains.
LSU, which is heading into its second full year as a Division I program after compiling a 6-10 record last year, returns four players from its top-three doubles, including Katie Lindelow and Helen Boyle.
No. 3 duo Victoria Boraski and Cati Leak also return for head coach Fran Flory, are are joined by newcomer Mandi Orellana, who is a member of the Guatemalan National Beach Volleyball Team.
“LSU’s got a huge sand team, according to their roster,” Nelson said. “And they’ve been going for a few years, so we’ll get to see where’s our program’s at.”
TCU, on the other hand, is in its first year of sponsoring sand volleyball like New Mexico. Under head coach Erik Peterson, the Horned Frogs’ inaugural roster is largely composed of its court roster. Of the 14 players listed on the school’s sand volleyball roster, 13 are crossing over from the court team.
Sophomore Ashley Smith led the Horned Frogs in kills on the court in the fall with 333, while Alexia Heist paced the team in assists with 836. Five TCU players produced over 100 kills on the court team in 2014.
“TCU’s a new program,” Nelson said, “so it’ll be interesting to see how we match up with them, both being new programs.”
The Lobos take on LSU in the program’s first-ever match at 11:30 a.m. MT before playing TCU at 3:30 p.m. MT. There will not be live scoring, but follow @UNMSandVB on Twitter to keep track of New Mexico. Check GoLobos.com Sunday evening for a full recap.