MUNCIE, Ind. — To open the 2015 season, the Lobos had Bruins for breakfast.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team kicked off its season with a 3-0 win over Belmont, sweeping the Bruins in straight sets in the first game of the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge in Muncie, Ind.
The Lobos, who topped Belmont by set scores of 25-11, 25-22, 25-18, relied on strong play from junior outside hitter Devanne Sours and timely service aces against and the error-prone Bruins.
Behind Sours’ game-high-tying 10 kills, New Mexico hit .237, converting 28 kills on 80 attempts with just nine attack errors. On the other side of the net, Belmont struggled offensively versus the Lobos’ defense, hitting a paltry .059 with 25 attack errors.
Simone Henderson added 8 kills for UNM, while Ashley Kelsey chipped in three service aces. Hannah Johnson had 18 assists to lead the Lobos.
Head coach Jeff Nelson remains undefeated in season openers at UNM, and he still is in line to earn his 400th career win against his alma mater Ball State in Saturday’s match.
The first set saw the Lobos run out to a quick 14-4 lead behind kills by Sours and Henderson. Belmont couldn’t score against UNM’s stingy defense, as Marisa Doran and Mercedes Pacheco collected four digs apiece in the first set.
Belmont mustered a -.081 hitting percentage in the first set, while the hot-hitting Lobos hit .286.
The Bruins played New Mexico tougher in the second frame, keeping the score close early. But, after settling into a 10-all tie, the Lobos reeled off a 5-1 run to gain some separation before staving off a final Belmont rally to win 25-22.
UNM and Belmont were more evenly match in set two, hitting .167 and .156, respectively. But four more kills from Sours and a pair of set-clinching aces by Kelsey proved the difference.
The final set started virtually identically as set two, with both teams matching points. Both teams were knotted at 12, but the Lobos rolled out a 4-1 run and relied on that to win the decisive set 25-18.
New Mexico returns to action later today against Albany at 3 p.m. MT.