TEMPE, Ariz. — For a team searching for answers during its first season, Lise Rugland and Ashley Newman might have found a few today.
Rugland and Newman swept both their courts Saturday, but the University of New Mexico sand volleyball team dropped a pair of 4-1 decisions to Arizona State and No. 10 Arizona to close out the ASU Sand Volleyball Challenge.
New Mexico, which lost 3-2 to No. 19 Bakersfield on Friday at the PERA Club in Tempe, has now lost 10 matches in a row to fall to 1-11 in its first year playing sand volleyball as an intercollegiate sport.
Although the Lobos (1-11) couldn’t break free from their first-year doldrums, Newman and Rugland continued to find their stride when New Mexico took on Arizona State (5-9) and Arizona (13-1).
Since last Sunday’s match against Arizona, the pair has gone 3-1, with the only loss yesterday to Bakersfield.
They were the only team to win in today’s two matches, which were the sixth and seventh this season in which New Mexico won only a single court.
And while the Lobos still haven’t won since beating fellow first-year team TCU on the program’s opening day on March 8, consistency from Rugland and Newman is a positive for a team that has played an exceptionally difficult inaugural schedule.
New Mexico has already played No. 10 Arizona three times, No. 18 Grand Canyon three times, No. 1 USC once and No. 19 Bakersfield once.
Add in two matches against an Arizona State team that has been ranked during the year, and the Lobos have had to navigate a schedule unfriendly to first-year teams.
But the experience that the youthful Lobos have been gaining during this stretch will pay dividends as the program continues to grow.
Game 1: Arizona State 4, New Mexico 1
After getting blanked by the Sun Devils two Saturdays ago, Rugland and Newman took care to prevent a repeat. The duo knocked off Arizona State’s Kizzy Willey/Sydney Palmer 21-19, 21-18 on court four, giving the Lobos their only point of the match.
But New Mexico was close on two other courts, coming within four points on courts three and five from picking up match points.
On court three, Eastyn Baleto and Julia Warren forced a decisive third set against the Sun Devils’ Whitney Follette/Halle Harker after winning the first set 23-21 and losing the second set 21-17. But they couldn’t overcome their opponents, falling 15-11 to drop the court.
A similar scenario played out on court five, where Maddie Mayfield and Jackie Baro went to three sets against Frances Giedraitis/Andi Lowrance. But they also lost 15-11 in the third set to finish the court 21-13, 18-21, 15-11.
Ashley Kelsey and Hannah Johnson fell on court one to Bianca Arellano/Macey Gardner in two sets, 21-15, 21-15, while Devanne Sours and Chloe Crappell lost 21-19, 21-15 to Bethany Jorgensen/Jordy Checkal on court two.
Game 2: Arizona 4, New Mexico 1
Newman and Rugland again staved off a shutout, as they finished the day undefeated with a 21-17, 21-14 win over Arizona’s Taylor Arizobal/Allie Cook on court four.
It was just the fourth lost surrendered by Arizobal and Cook this season, while it gave Newman and Rugland their fourth win of the year.
But, the tandem received no support from the rest of the team, as the Wildcats won in straight sets on every other court.
Johnson and Kelsey fell 21-13, 21-14 on court one to Arizona twins Madison Witt/McKenna Witt, while Sours and Crappell lost 21-16, 21-11 to Madi Kingdon/Kaitlyn Leary on court two.
Baleto and Warren, despite scoring 19 in a first-set loss, lost 21-19, 21-9 to Kendall Polan/Rachel Rhoades on court four.
Mayfield and Baro dropped court five 21-7, 21-15 to Hayley Devlin/Sarah Seiber.
New Mexico returns to action with next weekend as it closes out the match-play portion of its debut schedule with a doubleheader against Colorado State on Saturday at StoneFace Courts in Albuquerque.
Game 1: Arizona State 4, New Mexico 1
- Bianca Arellano/Macey Gardner (ASU) def. Hannah Johnson/Ashley Kelsey (UNM): 21-15, 21-15
- Bethany Jorgensen/Jordy Checka (ASU) def. Devanne Sours/Chloe Crappell (UNM): 21-19, 21-15
- Whitney Follette/Halle Harker (ASU) def. Julia Warren/Eastyn Baleto (UNM): 21-23, 21-17, 15-11
- Ashley Newman/Lise Rugland (UNM) def. Kizzy Willey/Sydney Palmer (ASU): 21-19, 21-18
- Frances Giedraitis/Andi Lowrance (ASU) def. Maddie Mayfield/Jackie Baro (UNM): 21-13, 18-21, 15-11
Game 2: Arizona 4, New Mexico 1
- Madison Witt/McKenna Witt (UA) def. Hannah Johnson/Ashley Kelsey (UNM): 21-13, 21-14
- Madi Kingdon/Kaitlyn Leary (UA) def. Devanne Sours/Chloe Crappell (UNM): 21-16, 21-11
- Kendall Polan/Rachel Rhoades (UA) def. Julia Warren/Eastyn Baleto (UNM) : 21-19, 21-9
- Ashley Newman/Lise Rugland (UNM) def. Taylor Arizobal/Allie Cook (UA): 21-17, 21-14
- Hayley Devlin/Sarah Seiber (UA) def. Maddie Mayfield/Jackie Baro (UNM): 21-7, 21-15