USC Classic — Los Angeles, Calif.
When: Pepperdine, Thursday at 1:30 p.m. MT; USC, Friday at 9 p.m. MT; Idaho State, Saturday at 12 p.m. MT
Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
GoLobos.com: Recaps, Results, Photos
Broadcast: USC on Pac-12 Networks; Pepperdine & Idaho State on Pac-12.com
Match Notes | Pepperdine Live Stats | USC Live Stats | Idaho State Live Stats
This weekend out in California has the potential to be a goldmine of opportunity for the Lobos.
All they have to do is strike gold.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team heads to the USC Classic this weekend with the goal of picking up wins against a staunch field of competition that has a combined three losses among them in 2015.
The Lobos (4-2 record in 2015) will take on Pepperdine (6-1) Thursday, No. 6 USC (6-0) Friday and Idaho State (5-2) Saturday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles with an eye on grabbing some NCAA resume-boosting wins.
“This is a weekend where everything you pick up as a bonus,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We feel like again it’s a weekend where if we can come up with two wins or three wins, it’s a really huge weekend for us.”
The Lobos have picked up some big wins already this season, including versus Santa Clara last Friday for Nelson’s 400th career win. But UNM has also dropped potentially beneficial matches versus Ball State and SMU, which makes the opportunities this weekend all the more important.
“This is a really big weekend for us on the road,” Nelson said. “… It’s our toughest one of the year we feel.”
New Mexico counters with a roster that is beginning to come into its own and features some improving players.
Devanne Sours in the offensive leader for the Lobos so far in 2015, leading New Mexico with 75 kills and 11 service aces. But Nelson can rely on Simone Henderson (67 kills, 22 total blocks) out of the middle and Cassie House (48 kills) and Julia Warren (52 kills, 70 digs) on the outside.
Combined with the always steady setter Hannah Johnson (231 assists, 10.5/game) and the emerging play of freshman libero Mercedes Pacheco (team-high 72 digs), and the Lobos have a roster that can hold up against most teams.
“I’m seeing more fight of his group and I’ve seen out of any group here,” Nelson said. “The quality of play [last] Friday and Saturday night was really high … I think we’re playing really good ball.”
The teams that UNM plays this weekend are also playing really good ball, as evidenced by their records so far in 2015.
Pepperdine, under first-year head coach Scott Wong, have raced to a 6-1 record this season, with their only loss coming a Lipscomb team currently receiving votes in the national poll. After handily winning the Pepperdine Asics Classic to open the season, the Waves went 2-1 at the Lipscomb Invitational.
USC, ranked sixth in the nation in the latest AVCA poll, has stifled its opponents so far in 2015. The Trojans have limited their foes to .139 hitting percentage, and four Trojans have tallied more than 40 kills this season, with Samantha Bricio leading the squad with 92 kills. USC can also rely on Brittany Abercrombie (49 kills), Alyse Ford (45) and Alicia Ogoms (40) for offense.
After dropping its first two games of the 2015, Idaho State has won five straight heading into the USC Classic. Under first-year head coach Rick Reynolds, the Bengals have collected wins over CSUN and Boise State this season. Tressa Lyman leads the team with 103 kills, but reigning Big Sky Conference Co-Player of the Week Makenzie Filer is right behind with 80 kills and a .417 success rate offensively.
All three of New Mexico’s matches are being broadcast, with Friday’s USC match being televised on the Pac-12 Network at 9 p.m. MT. The Pepperdine and Idaho State matches will be streamed online at Pac-12.com.