ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Lobos needed a win to keep pace in the balanced and dangerous Mountain West.
Their offense made sure that happened.
Devanne Sours notched 17 kills and Julia Warren tallied 15 kills and 12 digs as the University of New Mexico volleyball team smacked Nevada in four sets, 25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, on Saturday.
After dropping their MW opener 3-0 to San Diego State on Thursday, the Lobos (8-6, 1-1 MW) rebounded with a dazzling all-around performance against the Wolf Pack (6-8, 1-1) to even their conference record.
“I’m glad we bounced back,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “… Today we showed up ready and took care of business. I thought we had really nice match.”
Led by Sours’ and Warren’s offensive outburst, New Mexico had a stellar showing offensively, hitting .354 as a team with 58 kills. But the defense also shined for the Lobos, as they levied 13 total blocks against Nevada (with seven solos).
Simone Henderson added 10 kills and four total blocks, while Skye Gullatt chipped in six kills and seven total blocks.
Cassie House (six kills, five total blocks) and Hannah Johnson (48 assists, four kills, eight digs) also contributed, as the Lobos overmatched Nevada statistically. The Wolf Pack totalled only 49 kills and four blocks, and hit just .199.
UNM also played one its cleanest matches of the year offensively, committing only 13 attack errors.
“I think we played with a little less stress,” Nelson said.
The Lobos got off to a fast start in set one, leaping to a 7-3 lead behind a balanced offensive attack. New Mexico continued to build its lead, moving up all the way to 18-10 to force a Nevada timeout.
The Wolf Pack wouldn’t get any closer than five points after 25 serves, and the Lobos won the set easily 25-17.
New Mexico converted 17 of its 36 attempts, and committed only three attack errors for a .389 hitting percentage. Warren (five kills) and Henderson (four) led the offense, and UNM’s defense also shined, limiting Nevada to a .200 hitting percentage.
Set two was more of the same, as the Lobos went out to an early 8-3 lead on Nevada. The Wolf Pack strung together three straight points to make it 14-10, but New Mexico wouldn’t relent on offense, going up 20-14 after a 4-1 spurt.
Nevada made things a little interesting with a late 4-1 run to come to within three at 21-18, but UNM answered with their own 4-1 run for a 25-19 win in set two.
“I really liked their energy in games one and two,” Nelson said.
The Lobos kept the pressure going after the break, using a 5-1 run to go up 6-2. But the Wolf Pack would tie it up at 7 after a 5-1 streak, sparking a back-and-forth affair. Both teams tied the scored seven times until Nevada used a 7-2 run to go up 19-15. The Wolf Pack closed out the set scoring four of the last six points for a 25-20 win.
New Mexico continued to perform well on offense in the set, hitting .314 with just three errors. But UNM yielded a .364 hitting percentage to Nevada.
The seesaw battle continued into the fourth set, as neither team built more than a two-point lead early. But the Lobos reeled off 6-0 run to break a 14-all tie, and answered Nevada’s 3-0 retort by winning the set 25-20.
“In game four we got back on our game,” Nelson said.
The Lobos are on the road for the next two weeks, kicking off a four-match road trip Tuesday at New Mexico State. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Las Cruces, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Notes: New Mexico is now 7-0 vs. Nevada all-time … Nelson has also never lost in 10 matchs vs. the Wolf Pack … Warren now has six double-doubles this year and 11 in her career … Stephanie Chavez started at libero for the second consecutive match before switching with Mercedes Pacheco in the fourth set … New Mexico’s .354 hitting percentage (58 kills, 13 errors, 127 attempts) is just off its best this season of .357 (44-9-98) vs.Cal State Fullerton