New Mexico at San José State — San Jose, Calif.
When: Saturday at 2 p.m. MT
Where: Spartan Gym in San Jose, Calif.
GoLobos.com: Recaps, Results, Photos
Live Stream: CampusInsidersMatch Notes | Live Stats | Live Stream
In five tries, the Lobos have never lost to San José State in San Jose.
For a team looking for a win, that’s pretty good news.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team continues its season-long four-game road swing as it takes on the San José State Spartans for a Mountain West matchup on Saturday in Spartan Gym.
New Mexico (8-7, 1-1 MW) will look to snap a two-game losing streak and build some momentum in conference play when they take on San José State (9-6, 1-1 MW), a team against which it is undefeated on the road.
The Lobos — who lead the all-time series between the teams 10-3 — haven’t dropped a match to the Spartans since 1998, and won the last seven meetings between the schools, including a sweep each of the last two years.
New Mexico is also hoping to gain some steam as it opens October. New Mexico closed September with a split of its first two conference matches and dropped its final non-conference match to New Mexico State on Tuesday.
Junior outside hitter Devanne Sours continues to lead the team in kills with 190, and fellow junior outside Julia Warren has provided consistent play both offensively (148 kills) and defensively (team-leading 164 digs).
Senior setter Hannah Johnson continues to lead the team on the court with 553 assists and 139 digs and posted a double-double Tuesday vs. NM State, while senior middle blockers Skye Gullatt (59 total blocks) and Simone Henderson (47) patrol the net.
But the Lobos’ defense has been its crux lately, as head coach Jeff Nelson continues to search for a libero. Sophomore Stephanie Chavez started vs. NM State, but was replaced by freshman Mercedes Pacheco in the final set.
Redshirt sophomore Ashley Kelsey has also started matches at libero for the Lobos, who are registering just 14.45 digs per set (most of which are from Warren and Johnson) for the sixth-best total in the 11-team MW.
San José State ranks in the upper half of the conference in most statistical categories, including second in opponent hitting percentage (.148) and fourth in both assists (11.63/set) and kills (12.63/assists).
The Spartans are last in the MW in blocks, however, stuffing just 1.85 attempts a set.
Three SJSU players have at least 140 kills so far in 2015, with Sara Hibbs (155 kills) leading the trio that includes Tyanna Roy (151) and Nandyala Gama (140). Hibbs is also hitting .301 on the year, with Gama not far behind at .267. Allison Meehan (335 assists) and Breann Robinson (267) share the setting duties.
Defensively, San José State looks to liberos Luiza Andrada (191 digs) and Yavianliz Rosado (166) in the back row and Hibbs (50 total blocks) and Gama (44) in the front row.
The Spartans, picked to finish last in the MW this year, own a win over Fresno State in Fresno, but have has also lost to Sacramento State, UT Rio Grande Valley and Central Michigan.
First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT, and the match will be streamed on on CampusInsiders. Follow the links at the top for the broadcast and live stats, and follow @unmvolley on Twitter for in-game updates.