It might not have been the end they wanted, but if the first six weeks of the season were any indication, then the future is bright for the Lobos.
“I think this season really put our program on the map,” head coach Jeff Nelson said.
Multiple lengthy winning streaks and a presence in the exclusive national polls will do that.
But for a program that’s continually building its foundation in the sand, 2016 proved one very important thing: The Lobos are for real.
The 18th-ranked University of New Mexico beach volleyball team experienced a breakout season during its second year in the sand as it compiled a 17-9 record and continued to make step towards becoming a top-flight program.
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| Hannah Johnson | |
The Lobos, under Nelson and assistant coaches Pauline Manser and Daniel Foo, posted a massive turnaround from their inaugural campaign, improving from their 3-11 record in 2015 to a 17-9 record this season
“I think that there were huge strides forward and an occasional setback, but mostly, I think we really moved forward this year,” Nelson said. “… They’ve made huge improvements and they know that they can compete at a very high level now.”
As the sport continues to grow collegiately — 60 teams sponsored the sport this season, with more schools continuing to sign on — Nelson and his Lobos wanted to prove they belonged in the NCAA’s newest championship sport.
And over the course of the season, the Lobos proved they were trending to be among the sport’s best.
Although they faltered late during their 26-game schedule (nearly double what they played in their first year), the Lobos rose to as high as 12th in the DiG Magazine polls and were receiving votes in the 10-team AVCA poll for most of the year, including the final poll released Tuesday, May 10.
The Lobos ended the season ranked 18th in the DiG Magazine poll and are the youngest team ranked in the final poll.
New Mexico’s success started in the first tournament of the year, as it picked up 3-2 wins over Arizona State in Tempe and California in Phoenix.
That performance opening weekend, which included a sweep of Colorado Mesa, gave the Lobos a spark early.
“We got some confidence,” Nelson said. “I think beating Arizona State the first weekend really helped, because that was a team we weren’t able to get last year. In particular, the wins over Arizona State and Cal were really good for us.”
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| Cassie House | |
That early surge continued to build as everything started to click for New Mexico for the first six weeks of the season.
During a month-long span from mid-March to mid-April, the Lobos won 13 of 14 matches, falling only to No. 6 Arizona in Tucson but earning wins over Arizona State (again), CSUN, CSU Bakersfield, Pacific and San José State (twice).
They even added a pair of sweeps of established Division I programs, dispatching Washington and Sacramento State to end the first six weeks of the season at 16-4 and at No. 12 in the NCAA.
“That streak was a real testament to the girls’ hard work and their improvement over the last 12 months,” Nelson said.
But the tough schedule and the extensive travel caught up with New Mexico in its final two tournaments, as the Lobos dropped three straight at TCU and two of three at LSU to cap the season.
Out of the Lobos’ six road tournaments, only two were plane trips, and both of those still included significant driving.
By the end of the season, Nelson and company had racked up over 5,300 miles of driving to get to matches.
“While I’m excited about the progress, we have to find ways to make our schedule better so that the travel is better so we don’t crash as much,” Nelson said. “The high expectations and the really hard travel really caught up with us in the last few weeks.”
But, Nelson noted that the team’s culture improved via the “old school” method of traveling by car.
“I think helped our program get kicked started by creating a closer dynamic between the players, coaches and everyone,” he said.
And even the season-closing slide — although not the finish UNM wanted — has an extra benefit.
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| Maddie Mayfield | |
“They’re hungry and I think they know what happened at the end of the season,” Nelson said. “And like last year, we’re going to use that to move forward again. We’ve got nine of our 10 starters returning and they’ll be looking for something really special next year.”
In fact, virtually the entire team will be back looking for more in 2017.
The Lobos return 14 of the 16 players on the roster, including a veteran starting lineup that will feature seniors-to-be Cassie House, Devanne Sours, Lise Rugland, Julia Warren, Marisa Doran and Maddie Mayfield.
Along with some rising underclassmen like juniors-to-be Eastyn Baleto, Chloe Crappell, Jackie Baro, Sami Reynolds and Ashley Kelsey, sophomores-to-be Carson Heilborn and Allie Askew and some additional newcomers, New Mexico has the basis for continued success.
‘We return 14 out of 16 and I think that’s a good starting point,” Nelson said. “… They’ve played a lot of matches now and I think they’ll be even stronger next year.”
This season, New Mexico’s five pairs all finished above .500, including a 23-3 record from Doran & Baleto at the No. 4 spot.
“Eastyn and Marisa were a tremendous boost for us,” Nelson said. “They made it so that we almost never lost 5-0.”
Three other pairs totaled at least 14 wins on the season, with Rugland & Sours (14-6 at No. 2), lone senior Hannah Johnson & Warren (18-7 at No. 3) and Heilborn & Mayfield (14-11 at No. 5). UNM’s top pair, House & Kelsey, also finished with a winning record, going 11-10 against some of the best pairs in the NCAA.
But this season was a team effort through and through, which included continued support from athletic department administration — including Scott Dotson, the Senior Associate AD for Facilities — and Mike Draper and Lucky 66 Bowl, the home facility for the Lobos.
“We were very fortunate to have Lucky 66 as our home courts this year,” Nelson said. “It was outstanding and we’re very grateful for that.”
And while the Nelson and Dotson are in the process of making a permanent on-campus home, no matter where New Mexico plays next season, they’ll know one thing.
The Lobos are for real.
Fans can follow @UNMBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram and should keep an eye out for fundraisers over the summer.