New Mexico vs. No. 12 Arizona — Tucson, Ariz.
When: Saturday-Sunday, April 4-5
Who: University of Arizona
Where: Arizona Sand Volleyball Courts in Tucson, Ariz.
Against hot teams and hot temperatures, the Lobos have been feeling the heat a lot this first season.
The University of New Mexico sand volleyball team is continuing its inaugural season this weekend as it heads to Tucson for a two-day doubleheader against the 12th-ranked Arizona Wildcats.
After wilting last weekend under the Arizona sun, the Lobos (1-6) are looking to rebound and compete when they take on the Wildcats (8-1) for a pair of matches at the Arizona Sand Volleyball Courts.
“I thought we played well on Friday last week, but on Saturday, we didn’t handle the heat very well,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “I’m looking for us to manage ourselves a little better and be able to battle better because we really broke down on Saturday.”
Last Friday, the Lobos gave top-ranked USC a strong fight, capturing a set against the stingy Trojans as UNM continued a trend of staying competitive in matches.
But, in near triple-digit temperatures on Saturday, New Mexico struggled, getting swept by Grand Canyon and Arizona State to bring its current losing streak to five matches.
“We took ourselves out with the heat and just didn’t play like we had been in the previous matches where we competed hard,” Nelson said.
So the Lobos are heading back to Arizona to prove their mettle and keep gaining experience in their pursuit of building a competitive program.
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| Eastyn Baleto |
To this point in its debut season, New Mexico’s sand volleyball program has played an exceptionally difficult schedule, with four matches against nationally ranked teams and an additional pair of matches versus team that have received votes in the polls during the year.
And while such a demanding slate has led to a 1-6 record, Nelson knows that this year will help as the Lobos continue to build their program.
“We’re playing teams that are in the top 10 in the country and are in their third or fourth years having programs,” Nelson said. “We scheduled that way so that in a year or two, we would be there.”
One team that has been a bright spot and looks to be a building block is the tandem of freshman Eastyn Baleto and sophomore Julia Warren.
The pair picked up a win against USC last Friday — just the fifth surrendered by the Trojans all year — and were sitting on a five-match win streak to open the season.
But, like the rest of the team, the sun got the better of the two on Saturday, as they fell in both their matches.
“I think they were one of the groups that knew they really had a letdown Saturday,” Nelson said. “Maybe it was overconfidence from Friday, maybe it was the heat. But they’ve both talked with me about getting back out there.”
The duo is still the most consistent and the winningest pair for the Lobos, and they’ll play the No. 2 court for New Mexico against Arizona.
On the ones court, redshirt junior Hannah Johnson and redshirt freshman Ashley Kelsey will look to claim their first win as a pair after teaming up for the first time last weekend. Similarly, the No. 4 pair of sophomore Devanne Sours and freshman Chloe Crappell get another week to work on their newer partnership.
Senior Ashley Newman, the team’s captain, and sophomore Lise Rugland are in the third position, and have been close in a number of matches throughout the season. Sophomore Maddie Mayfield and freshman Jackie Baro will play in the fifth position.
On the other side of the net, Arizona has swept seven of its opponents en route to its No. 12 ranking.
The Wildcats’ No. 1 team of Madi Kingdon and Kaitlyn Leary and No. 2 team of Madison and McKenna Witt both sport a team-leading 11-1 mark on the season.
The pairs have spearheaded Arizona’s 8-1 record as the third-year Wildcats have beaten Boise State, LSU, TCU and Tulane with its only loss to 11th-ranked Nebraska.
“We know that their top two teams are really strong, but we know they’ve been playing well across the board,” Nelson said.
The other three Arizona tandems have won at least seven matches, with No. 3 pair Kendall Polan/Rachel Rhoades (7-3), No. 4 pair Taylor Arizobal/Allie Cook (7-2) and No. 5 pair Hayley Devlin/Sarah Seiber (10-1).
There will not be live scoring this weekend, but follow @UNMSandVB on Twitter to keep track of New Mexico. Check GoLobos.com Sunday evening for a full recap.