When: UNLV, Thur. at 7 p.m. MT | Fresno State, Sat. at 2 p.m. MT
Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nev. | Save Mart Center, Fresno, Calif.
GoLobos.com: Recaps, Results, PhotosNotes | UNLV Live Stats & Live Stream | Fresno State Live Stats & Live Stream
With five games left in the 2015 season, the Lobos are still in control of how they finish in the Mountain West.
“There’s a lot of pride in this program,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “In in the last 10 years, we’ve only finished below the middle once and nobody wants that to happen.
“We’re in a good position for that not to happen if we just take care of business.”
The University of New Mexico volleyball teams will look to take care of its business this week as it embarks on one of its final two road trips of the season to take on Mountain West foes UNLV and Fresno State.
UNM, currently sitting fourth in the league with a 14-12 overall record and 7-6 conference record, faces the Rebels (13-14, 6-7) Thursday night in Las Vegas before jetting to Fresno to play the Bulldogs (13-14, 5-8 MW) Saturday afternoon.
“We have five matches in the next 12 days – four on the road – so it’s going to be a challenge,” Nelson said. “But, both after the game Saturday and yesterday again in practice, I think they did a really good job of getting back on board mentally.”
After falling in both of its matches last week vs. Wyoming and Colorado State, the Lobos are looking to rebound again teams they handily defeated earlier in the season.
In fact, when New Mexico played Fresno State and UNLV the first time through the schedule last month, it was coming off a 2-5 stretch that ended with losses to Wyoming and CSU.
But the Lobos topped both the Bulldogs and Rebels in Albuquerque that go round, which was the beginning of a 5-1 streak for UNM.
However, New Mexico dropped the return matches against Wyoming and Colorado State, and in order to get back to its winning ways, New Mexico’s offense needs to step up. Although UNM is third in the MW in hitting percentage, it’s just ninth in kills.
“We have to get more output from the pin hitters,” Nelson said. “… The nights we’re getting production at the pins, were winning and we’re winning pretty handily. But we’re not getting it all the time.”
The Lobos’ defense has been strong recently, as they’ve held their last eight opponents to sub-.233 hitting percentages. UNM’s defense, which is third in the MW in opponent hitting percentage, held conference-leading CSU to nearly 80 points lower than its conference average in hitting percentage.
Skye Gullatt has continued to lead that unit, and the senior middle blocker is now second in program history in total blocks with 438. Along with better back-row defense courtesy Ashley Kelsey, Mercedes Pacheco and Stephanie Chavez, the Lobos have shown improvement defensively.
UNM’s offense has also shown signs of strong play, with Hannah Johnson managing the team from her spot as setter. The redshirt senior is also closing in on her own program record, and is just 221 assists from the record in career assists.
On the other side of the net, UNLV is also looking to rebound. Heading into mid October, UNLV was 5-1 over its last six, including a 4-1 start in MW play. Since then, the Rebels have gone 2-6, falling from second in the league to fifth.
Bree Hammel leads UNLV in kills (295) and is right behind the team lead in blocks (106). Ceannia Kincade (222 kills) and Alyssa Wing (180 kills) contribute offensively, with Ashley Owens (159 kills, 133 blocks) also producing. Carly Riehl is tops in digs (432).
Alexis Patterson paces UNLV’s offense with 909 assists, and also adds a team-high 16 aces and 199 digs. Wing (235 digs) and Kincade (199) are also active defensively.
“UNLV is 9-1 at home this year but 13-14 overall,” Nelson said. “So they’ve really struggled on the road but they’ve been tough at home. Kind of battling with their lineup like we were earlier in the year.”
Tabbed to finish ninth in the Mountain West this season, Fresno State is currently eighth with a 5-8 MW record. The Bulldogs have dropped four of their last five.
Fresno State relies on three players for the bulk of its offense, with Zana Bowens (291 kills), Carly Scarbrough (281) and NM State transfer Aleisha Coates (280). Lauren Torres is team leader in blocks (77 total), with Scarbrough (70) not far behind.
Brooke Legaux keys the Bulldogs’ offense with 745 assists, while libero Maggie Eppright is near the top of the MW in digs (494, 4.84/set).
New Mexico is 7-10 all-time at UNLV, and has won five of its last seven road matches vs. the Rebels. UNM is 2-8 on the road vs. Fresno State, winning last in Fresno in 1996.
New Mexico takes on UNLV at 7 p.m. MT at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas before heading up to the Save Mart Center in Fresno for a 2 p.m.MT match vs. Fresno State.
Follow the links at the top for the broadcast and live stats, and follow @unmvolley on Twitter for in-game updates.