ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two games away from their home court at Johnson Center and Lobos aren’t feeling a bit homesick.
New Mexico volleyball caged the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds in straight sets Saturday afternoon at WisePies Arena aka the Pit to set up a showdown with LSU in the title match of the Days Inn and Suites Lobo Invitational.
The Lobos (7-4) had little trouble with the winless Blackbirds (0-10) in Saturday’s afternoon match, winning 25-20, 25-14, 25-20.
New Mexico, playing in The Pit this weekend due to a production of “The Book of Mormon” on main campus, will square off with the 3-7 LSU Tigers tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the tournament title.
“I believe we were really relaxed today and handled the match itself very well,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We did that with our good leadership from Julia, Hannah and Devanne. We just really seemed to be moving forward.”
Devanne Sours led the team with a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs, while Julia Warren chipped in another double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Hannah Johnson posted 30 assists, nine digs and five kills to pace the Lobos’ offense.
After scrapping for a win last night against CSUN to open the Lobo Invitational in The Pit, UNM rebounded against LIU Brooklyn. All but one Lobo received playing time and the Lobos outperformed the Blackbirds in the key statistically areas.
“I thought overall that we passed well and we dug a lot of balls,” Nelson said. “… I think defensively today we did a great job.”
The Lobos outhit LIU Brooklyn .280 (44 attacks, 11 errors, 118 attempts) to .076 (28, 19, 118), and had more assists (39 to 27), digs (55 to 53) and blocks (nine to six).
No LIU Brooklyn player had more than nine kills.
New Mexico and LIU Brooklyn started the match trading points, with 12 ties through 32 serves. The Lobos broke open the first set with a 6-0 run to take a 21-16 lead, leaning on kills by Sours, Johnson and Simone Henderson.
UNM withstood a late 3-0 surge by the Blackbirds to take the opening frame 25-20. Sours had five kills and Johnson and Warren had three apiece as New Mexico hit .297 in the set.
The Lobos kept the momentum going in set two, building a 13-5 lead early. LIU Brooklyn wouldn’t test New Mexico’s lead for the rest of the set, coming no closer than seven points late.
Sours, Warren and Cassie House had three kills for the Lobos, who hit .289 in the set. The Blackbirds struggled to convert offensively against UNM’s relentless pressure, finishing with a negative .093 hitting percentage.
Set three was no different, as New Mexico bolted out to a 12-5 lead. But LIU Brooklyn answered with runs of 4-1 and 8-3 to make the score 20-19 in UNM’s favor. Undeterred, the Lobos responded with a 5-1 streak, and took the set 25-20.
New Mexico moves to 4-1 this season in straight-set matches.
The Days Inn and Suites Lobo Invitational closes out tonight at with a 5 p.m. match between CSUN and LIU Brooklyn and the title match at 7:30 p.m. between UNM and LSU.
Tonight’s match is a “Whiteout”, and the first 600 fans will receive a whiteout shirt. Tickets are just $3 dollars and UNM students get in free with a valid Lobo Card.