ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New season, same result for 10th-year Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team improved to 10-0 in season openers under Nelson as it dispatched Abilene Christian in straight sets, 25-15, 25-19, 25-13, to kick off the UNM Invitational Friday afternoon in Johnson Center.
The Lobos (1-0) were paced by strong offensive balance and some solid defense in their season-opening win over the Wildcats (0-1). New Mexico returns to play Arizona State later Friday night at 8 p.m. MT
“I thought we were really aggressive,” Nelson said. “… There was good offensive output.”
After a productive preseason and a promising exhibition match last Saturday vs. some UNM alumni, the Lobos showed well in their first test of the 2016 season.
Friday’s 3-0 win was the Lobos’ fifth season-opening sweep during their run of first-match success under Nelson.
UNM hit .235 vs. Abilene Christian, notching 34 kills against 15 errors on 81 attacks, and also held ACU to a negative hitting percentage of -.085 (19 kills, 26 errors, 82 attempts).
Cassie House led all players with 10 kills, while Devanne Sours and Victoria Spragg registered seven each. Spragg also hit a flawless .700 on the game, posting seven errorless kills on 10 swings.
New Mexico’s offense won every key battle, finishing with the advantage in assists (30 to ACU’s 19) and aces (five to four).
Defensively, the Lobos racked up 33 digs, with Julia Warren tallying a match-high 13. Starting libero Ashley Kelsey also dug up seven balls for UNM, which held a 33-27 advantage over the Wildcats.
“Our chemistry is great and I think the girls are in a really good place,” Nelson said. “It’s all part of the journey and we’re just going keep getting better.”
The Lobos and Wildcats opened the first set relatively even, fighting to a 7-7 tie. However, New Mexico unleashed a 10-3 run that featured a pair of kills from House and Sours to take a 17-10 lead. UNM wouldn’t look back, scoring eight of the final 11 points to win set one 25-15.
House and Sours both had five kills apiece in the opening set, as New Mexico hit .480 (13k-1e-25a) in the set. UNM’s defense was also sparkling, limiting ACU to a -.037 (6k-7e-27a) success rate.
Set two opened similarly to the first stanza with an early tie at 8-all. Abilene Christian continued to match the Lobos into a 15-15 tie, but New Mexico found their stride late as they reeled off a 12-4 set-clinching run.
Spragg posted three of her kills in the second set, while fellow middle blocker Mariessa Carrasco nabbed a pair of block assists.
The Lobos had little trouble closing out the match, running out to a 7-2 lead in set three. Abilene Christian would close the gap to three points at 9-6, but would get no closer as UNM posted an 8-2 run to capture the final set 25-13.
UNM’s defense was at its most potent in the final frame, limiting ACU to a -.214 hitting percentage (5-11-28). It’s the lowest hitting percentage yielded by New Mexico since Albany hit -.276 in the second game of the year last season.
New Mexico won that match last fall vs. Albany, and will look to go 2-0 for the second straight year when it faces Arizona State at 8 p.m. Friday night.