ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bring on Nebraska.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team dispatched Montreal in straight sets Friday night, setting up a showdown with top-ranked and defending national champions Nebraska in Saturday night’s finale of the Lobo Classic in WisePies Arena.
Although the Lobos’ match vs. the Carabins of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) was an exhibition and didn’t count toward the team’s season record or stats, New Mexico (6-2) overcame a bit of a slow start before besting Montreal 27-25, 25-12, 25-14.
“I thought we started a bit tentative in game one,” 10th-year New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said, “but when we came out in game two and served a little tougher, things opened up.”
Friday night’s win also opens up a big opportunity for the Lobos vs. Nebraska. Both teams are 2-0 in the Lobo Classic, having both beaten Montreal and Arkansas.
The New Mexico-Nebraska match is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
But before the Lobos could think about the undefeated Cornhuskers, they had to get through the Carabins. And Nelson’s players had little trouble, outplaying an error-prone Montreal team across the board.
New Mexico hit .247 on the match, notching 32 total kills against just 14 errors. The Carabins could only muster a .061 success rate, with 27 kills against 22 errors. Montreal also had 14 service errors and five receipt errors.
The Lobos also had a big advantage blocking, racking up 11 denials to Montreal’s five.
Although both teams performed similarly in assists (27 each) and digs (27 for UNM, 26 for Montreal), New Mexico was able to capitalize on its blocking as it got a number of players time on the court.
“It was really nice to get everyone in and get them some time,” Nelson said. “For sure that’s going to help us down the road.”
Devanne Sours led the Lobos with eight kills, as five players notched at least four kills. Carson Heilborn registered 18 assists, while Ashley Kelsey tallied seven digs.
Victoria Spragg totaled eight blocks, with Sours chipping in five.
New Mexico and Montreal opened the first set fairly evenly, fighting to a 4-4 lead in the first few minutes. The Lobos posted a 6-2 run to take a 9-6 lead, but the Carabins followed with a 5-2 spurt to tie the set at 12-all.
Montreal would take a lead at 14-13, expanding its advantage to two points at 21-19. After a Lobo timeout, UNM scored four of the next five point to go up 23-22, and held off Montreal late, going 4-1 late to claim a 27-25 win in set one.
Sours notched five of her eight kills in the first frame, while New Mexico hit .222 with 12 kills. Montreal was a bit more successful, hitting .240.
“I didn’t feel like we were being aggressive enough [in set one],” Nelson said.
The Lobos came with more fire to start the second set, bolting to a 7-2 lead. The Carabins crept to within three points at 8-5, but New Mexico reeled off an 11-2 run — featuring seven Montreal errors — to seize a commanding 19-7 lead.
Montreal wouldn’t threaten much late in the set, as UNM took advantage of three more Carabin errors en route to a 25-12 win.
House led the Lobos with three kills, but UNM also benefited from a 5-1 advantage blocking and 15 Montreal errors.
The final set was more of the same for the Lobos as they claimed a 15-6 lead behind six Carabin miscues. Montreal wouldn’t get closer than seven points, as New Mexico cruised to a comfortable 25-14 win.
Spragg, Mariessa Carrasco and Lauren Twitty each had two kills for UNM. Montreal continued to struggle playing clean volleyball, committing 15 errors in the final set.
New Mexico takes on Nebraska Saturday night to close out the Lobo Classic at WisePies Arena. The match is a “White Out”, and fans are encouraged to wear white. Tickets are $3 per person when purchased in groups of 10 or more, and the first 600 fans will receive a “White Out” T-shirt.