Complete Scores | Foo Interview | Mayfield Interview | Nelson Interview | Johnson Interview
TEMPE, Ariz. — Last year, it took the Lobos from the opening day of the season until the last day of the season to win its first two games.
This season, it took all of one day.
The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team kicked off its 2016 season with a pair of wins at the Sun Devil Challenge Friday as it knocked off Arizona State 3-2 before defeating Colorado Mesa 5-0.
The Lobos received strong all-around play from every position, including dramatic three-set victories from the duos of Hannah Johnson & Julia Warren and Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto in their win over the Sun Devils, the first in program history over an established beach program.
“It was great,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “Last year, we didn’t get our second win until the middle of April. To get it in the first day was awesome. … It’s just really good. Proud of the way we played and proud of the way we worked.”
After a 3-11 campaign last season that featured all three wins against either fellow first-year teams or exhibitioning teams, the Lobos took no time to pick up some big-time wins Friday at the PERA Club.
Against Arizona State, a Pac-12 team in its third year of competition, New Mexico proved it belonged in the constantly growing beach volleyball world, which is now an NCAA Championship sport.
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| Devanne Sours |
UNM followed that up with a clean sweep of Colorado Mesa, a Division II school in its first year of action.
It left the Lobos with a spotless 2-0 record, an unfamiliar if decidedly positive proposition for a young team.
“It feels really exciting,” UNM’s lone senior, Hannah Johnson, said of the 2-0 start. “We’re building our program one step at a time. Last year was our first year and we were just excited to be playing. This year, we have set higher expectation for ourselves and knowing that we are 2-0 after the first day is a fantastic feeling.”
Match 1: New Mexico 3, (RV) Arizona State 2
New Mexico opened its day against ASU, a team that was not only receiving votes in DiG Magazine’s Preseason Poll, but a team that also defeated the Lobos twice in 2015.
However, UNM got a measure of revenge on the Sun Devils, picking up an exciting 3-2 win at ASU’s home facility.
“Arizona State has been going for a few years now,” Nelson said. “It’s really exciting to come out and play them so well. We lost to them bad the first time last year and the second time it was closer.”
Despite the uneven series history, the improving Lobos dusted off history behind strong team play and a blistering opening flight of games.
The Lobos captured wins in the No. 4 and No. 5 courts, and tacked on a win in the exhibition court before staving off Arizona State’s late rally in the top-three courts.
Carson Heilborn & Maddie Mayfield quickly defeated ASU’s Frances Giedraitis & Natalie Braun 21-16, 21-8 in the No. 5 position before Doran & Baleto came back from a 1-0 deficit for a 18-21, 21-17, 15-11 over Jourdan Parnell & Mia Rivera in the No. 4 position.
Allie Askew & Choe Crappell posted a win in the exhibition, toppling the Sun Devils’ Kylie Pickrell & Blair Robalin 21-15, 24-22.
“We came out on fire winning at the six, four and five positions, so that put us in a great position,” assistant coach Daniel Foo said. “I thought all of the matches were very competitive, and we did sneak out the three spot to get the win.”
The No. 3 position occupied by Hannah Johnson & Julia Warren helped the Lobos to the match win as they outdueled Madison Berridge & Bethany Wedepohl for a 21-16, 17-21, 15-10 victory.
“I think that the teams this year are really balanced and we came in know that we could have a good chance of coming out with the match point,” Mayfield said. “I think we were all focused on that and we did a really good job at that.”
New Mexico came close to making it a 4-1 win, but No. 2 duo Devanne Sours & Ashley Kelsey were just edged by Sydney Palmer & Kwyn Johnson in their third set, 21-17, 16-21, 15-13.
ASU also won in the top position as the Sun Devils Bianca Arellano & Whitney Follette defeated Lise Rugland & Cassie House 21-14, 21-18.
Match 2: New Mexico 5, Colorado Mesa 0
Hot off an emotional win (and the Arizona sun), the Lobos needed to stay cool to extend their momentum. They did just that, absolutely dominating the Mavericks from Grand Junction, Colo.
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| Maddie Mayfield |
“Coming back and getting a win we expected to get, but not having a letdown after a big, exciting match, was big,” Nelson said.
New Mexico won every single set against Colorado Mesa — and all but three sets by more than four points — en route to its second win.
Baleto & Doran got the match started with a 21-12, 21-19 win over Ali Suvornic & Zie Edwards on court four, with Mayfield & Crappell following up with a 21-15, 21-16 victory against Natalee Todd & Rachel Moralez on court five.
Johnson & Warren clinched another match, defeating Kiricket Adelman & Megan Piannetti 21-12, 21-13 on the No. 3 court.
“I think it was a very good match overall,” Johnson said. “It was a good second match, especially in the heat. Everyone did really well.”
Sours & Kelsey also seized a match point in their battle against Hana Peterman & Naomi Pinnecose on court two, as the Lobo pair won 21-13, 21-17.
The final point between top-seeded pairs House & Rugland and CMU’s Taylor Woods & Erin Perez finished no differently than any of the rest, as the Lobo tandem won 21-19, 21-14.
Jackie Baro & Askew also won their exhibition match 21-14, 21-11 to wrap up a faultless performance vs. the Mavericks.
The Lobos return to action tomorrow at the Sun Devil Challenge with two matches against ranked teams. New Mexico faces off against No. 17 South Carolina at 2 p.m MT before taking on No. 6 Florida State directly afterwards at 3:45 p.m.