ARLINGTON Texas — Cassie House tied a career high with 21 kills for the second straight match and Devanne Sours posted a flawless 14 kills, but it wasn’t enough as the University of New Mexico volleyball team fell in five sets to Samford Saturday morning.
Despite some standout performances from a pair of their senior outside hitter, the Lobos (8-4) couldn’t put away the Bulldogs (8-6) at College Park Center in Arlington, losing 21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 15-17 in both team’s third match at the UT Arlington Invitational.
“We came out flat again on Saturday and lost to a team we should have beaten,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said. “I am really disappointed as we lacked the discipline needed to win. We seem to take our opponents for granted. Samford played very hard and deserved the win.”
New Mexico and Samford played a very even match, finishing with similar numbers hitting (.285 for UNM to .284 for Samford) and digging (67 each).
The Lobos finished with fewer errors and out-blocked the Bulldogs 10 to seven, but the Bulldogs finish with more kills (71 to 63) and assists (65 to 58) and made more key plays late for the win.
House led UNM with 21 kills, matching her career high after posting 21 in the Lobos’ 3-1 win over tournament host UT Arlington Friday night.
She added a pair of service aces and three blocks.
Sours also contributed with 14 kills on 26 attempts, setting a new career best in hitting percentage with a .538 clip. Victoria Spragg also chipped in with nine kills and a game-high six blocks.
But UNM wouldn’t receive much more consistent offense. Julia Warren had eight kills but nine errors, while Mariessa Carrasco added four kills. Carson Heilborn finished with 52 assists.
“We lacked leadership and consistency in setting,” Nelson said. “Julia Warren, who has been a rock for us, really struggled offensively.”
On the defensive side, Ashley Kelsey led the way with 21 digs, and Warren tallied 15.
New Mexico and Samford opened the first set fairly evenly, with both teams playing to a 7-7 tie early. But the Bulldogs would post a 7-2 run to take a 14-9 lead, extending their margin to eight points at 19-11.
UNM would score four straight to come to within four at 19-15, but Samford scored three in a row to gain a 22-15 lead. The Lobos would make it interesting late with a 6-2 spurt, but Samford won the set 25-21 on a UNM service error.
New Mexico hit just .182 in the set compared to Samford’s .371 success rate.
However, the Lobos would come out with some more fire in the second frame, jumping to a 9-5 lead behind a series of Bulldog errors. Samford would draw to within two points at 12-10, but a 6-2 run provided some separation for the Lobos at 19-13.
UNM would close the set with six of the final eight points — including the set-winner, an ace by Warren — for the 25-17 win.
The Lobos would improve their hitting marginally in the second stanza, hitting .269, but the biggest difference was holding Samford to a .094 rate. House and Sours each had three kills in the set.
Set three started out similarly to set two, as UNM built an early 8-5 lead. After Samford cut the Lobos’ lead to two points at 10-8, New Mexico unleashed seven unanswered points to claim a 17-9 lead.
UNM would expand its lead to eight at 21-13, but Samford responded with six straight points to make it 21-19. The Bulldogs would draw to within two points a few more times, but three late kills by Cassie House helped UNM stave off Samford, 25-22.
House erupted for seven kills in the set as UNM converted a .314 attack percentage. Samford actually hit better (.387), but couldn’t make plays late.
That would change in set four, as Samford claimed the early 7-4 lead. UNM would score four straight to take an 8-7 lead as both teams continued to trade runs — 4-0 for the Bulldogs answered by 6-1 for the Lobos.
UNM looked to be in control with a 21-19 lead, but Samford scored six of the final seven points in the set to win 25-23 and force a fifth set.
Set four was exceptionally close, as New Mexico hit .300 to Samford’s .298. House logged five kills and Sours registered four.
Samford, however, had the momentum in set five, fighting off the Lobos’ early 8-6 lead to go up 12-11. New Mexico did get two shots at set point at 14-13 and 15-14, but the Bulldogs closed with three straight points to win 17-15.
Samford scored four points on UNM service errors, helping them overcome a .250 hitting percentage. The Lobos hit .375, but failed to close out the set late.
“We led almost all of game five and had two match points but failed to take a good swing,” Nelson said. “We need someone to step up and lead in tight spots.”
The Lobos return to action later Saturday vs. UTEP. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.