ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The results in this preseason exhibition might not officially count, but they certainly were worth recording.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team hosted a successful Alumni Match Saturday night at Johnson Center, sweeping four straight sets against some former Lobo greats, 25-9, 25-11, 25-19, 25-21.
In the team’s lone tuneup before the regular season, the Lobos received some strong performances across the board, which is exactly what head coach Jeff Nelson and his staff wanted to see Saturday night.
“I really liked it,” Nelson said of the Lobos’ effort. “We were flying and serving tough, and we were really attacking at the net. I like what we did.
“Everybody got to play a couple games and I liked what everyone did. I think it got us ready for next week.”
With less than a week before New Mexico opens its regular season Friday vs. Abilene Christian in Johnson Center, the Lobos were looking to determine their lineups and polish their veteran talent versus some standout alumni.
With seven native New Mexicans and four seniors on the 2016 roster, the Lobos have the pieces to excel during the regular season, and Saturday’s showing was a solid dress rehearsal.
“Overall I thought everyone did a good job,” Nelson said. “Everyone got some really quality time out there.”
UNM’s seniors led the way, pacing the Lobos to a strong .364 hitting percentage (56 kills, 12 errors, 121 attempts).
Offensively, Cassie House registered a game-high 18 kills and Devanne Sours chipped in 10 kills and seven digs, while Julia Warren (five kills, nine digs and three aces) and Marisa Doran (five digs, four block assists) posted strong efforts defensively.
“I think all our seniors did really well,” Nelson said. “… It was really nice to see our seniors lead the way out there.”
The Lobos’ setters — a question mark as UNM looks to break in a new starter after three-plus years of graduated Hannah Johnson — also shined. Carson Heilborn got the start, finishing with 28 assists (and six errorless kills), and Lise Rugland dished out 12 assists.
Victoria Spragg also had a strong night after redshirting last year due to thumb issues. The middle blocker notched five kills and a pair of blocks assists.
Elsewhere, Mercedes Pacheco (10 digs) and Ashley Kelsey (three digs) successfully split the libero duties, while freshmen J’Kaylee Clark (four kills, 3 BA), Lauren Twitty (three kills) and Jane Cisar (two kills, 3 BA) posted productive Lobo debuts.
In fact, every player on the roster made an impact, with all 16 players recording at least a kill or a dig.
The Lobos rolled in the first two sets, overpowering a strong alumni team behind their prospective starting lineup.
In the first set, the current Lobos registered a 6-0 run behind strong play from their seniors to open up a 15-7 lead. UNM would only yield two more points en route to winning the opening set 25-9. The second set was more of the same, as the Lobos opened a 7-3 lead before scoring 14 of the last 17 points for a 25-11 win.
House notched 12 of her 18 kills in the first two sets, powering the Lobos to a .423 success rate in set one and a .407 success rate in set two.
New Mexico’s defense was also on point vs. the alumni, holding the former Lobos to a negative hitting percentage in the opening two frames.
“In games one and two, we went with what I think is our top lineup right now,” Nelson said. “We played really physical, I liked what we were doing.”
The alumni made the third set more interesting early, forging a 13-13 tie behind All-American Jeanne Fairchild, former All-Mountain West libero Gayle Tripp and current UNM director of operations Elsa Krieg.
However, the current team gained a three-point cushion at 17-14 and maintained its edge before a clinching the set 25-19 with a 5-1 run.
House continued to shine in the third set, notching six kills, but Clark added three kills as more of the younger players saw more opportunities.
The match continued into a fourth set so the Lobos could continued playing, and more younger players competed in the final stanza. Only two upperclassmen — Sours and Doran — saw action in set four.
But Sours’ and Doran’s veteran leadership helped the current Lobos escape another mid-set tie (this one at 15-all), as Sours scored three kills in six plays to power UNM to a 25-21 set win.
“We put Devanne in out there in game four with all the freshman in order for her to be a leader,” Nelson said. “And they won that game with her coming up with some really big kills for us.”
The Lobos opens their regular season against Friday against Abilene Christian at 12:30 p.m. and Arizona State at 8 p.m. The Lobos will also face Idaho and Fairfield during their opening weekend.
“I think we’re ready for some big matches next weekend,” Nelson said.
Tickets for the Arizona State match are $3 per ticket if purchased in groups of 10 or more, while all other tickets during the opening weekend are $5.