ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Coming into the match, Sunday’s contest was the story of two teams trending in completely opposite directions.
But, behind some superb play across the board, New Mexico put a stop to both of those trends.
Cassie House tallied a game-high 16 kills and Julia Warren added 10 kills and six digs to power the University of New Mexico volleyball team to a thrilling 3-1 victory Sunday on “Lobos Love Pink” night in Johnson Center.
With the win against their Rio Grande Rivals, the Lobos (11-11, 1-7 Mountain West) snapped a seven-game losing streak, picking up their first win since September 22 and doing it against an Aggies squad (17-5, 7-0 WAC) that had won its previous 11 matches.
“That’s the way we should be playing ball,” 10th-year New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We were tough when we had to be today. … NMSU is always good and they’re really well-coached.
“It’s a good win. There’s no two ways around it.”
After struggling through the program’s longest losing streak since 2003, the Lobos turned it around Sunday, largely outplaying the Aggies in front of 1,476 fans.
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| Lise Rugland |
New Mexico outhit New Mexico State .217 to .188 as the Aggies committed 31 attack errors. Although the Lobos had fewer kills and assists, NM State had trouble limiting its mistakes, finishing with 59 total errors.
The Lobos also controlled the net in dominating fashion, stuffing 13.5 shots on the night compared to the Aggies’ 8 blocks. It’s the second-highest block total for UNM this year.
“The biggest thing on there is blocking,” Nelson said. “… 13.5 blocks is a great number for four games and it’s not something we’ve been doing well. It was really nice to step up and do that well today.”
Individually, House’s 16 kills were tops on the night. The senior, who now has 1,050 career kills, posted a .312 hitting percentage, her best since September 24. She also added a team-high three aces to tie her career high.
Warren (10 kills) Devanne Sours (eight) also contributed offensively.
Additionally, New Mexico’s setting was solid, with Lise Rugland dishing out a career-high 31 assists after replacing Carson Heilborn.
“Lise did a great job,” Nelson said. “She was super steady with not many mistakes and got the ball to the right people.”
On the defensive side, Ashley Kelsey continued to key the Lobos’ floor defense, registering 16 digs.
Victoria Spragg authored New Mexico’s hegemony at the net, posting eight total blocks, one off her career high. Mariessa Carrasco (four blocks), Sours (four) and House (three) also chipped in.
Both teams opened the match with 3-0 runs, sparking a run of even play as there were eight ties through 20 serves. NM State would take a 14-11 lead, but UNM answered with a 3-0 spurt of its own to tie the set at 14-14.
New Mexico took a late lead at 19-18 to force an Aggie timeout, but NM State came out strongly after that, scoring seven of the last eight points of the set to win 25-20.
The Lobos actually outhit the Aggies in set one, .269 to .207, earning four kills from House and three from Sours.
Set two opened decidedly in New Mexico’s favor, as the home team raced out to a 9-3 lead behind strong play from Sours. NM State would knot the set up after an 8-2 run, and both teams settled into some more back-and-forth play.
From 11-11 on, both teams were tied point-for-point, compiling 15 deadlocks until New Mexico scored the final two points on kills by Warren and Spragg.
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| Julia Warren |
Warren was especially effective in the second frame, logging four of the Lobos’ last six points in the set. She posted seven kills in the set, guiding UNM to a .257 hitting percentage. The Lobos also had 4.5 blocks in the set.
The even play continued after intermission, with eight ties en route to a 10-10 score. However, New Mexico would break the set open with a 6-0 run after NM State committed five straight attack errors.
The Aggies would cut UNM’s lead to four points at a couple of occasions, but House smashed four kills in the span of seven plays to give New Mexico a 23-16 lead. Two more NM State errors would give the Lobos the set 25-17.
New Mexico’s offense was buoyed by six House kills, but it was the Lobos’ defense (and the Aggies’ miscues) that limited NM State to a -.029 clip in the set.
New Mexico State took an early lead in set four, posting a 6-4 margin early. However, the Lobos would fight back, taking an 11-7 lead before both teams starting playing in and out of ties once again. The Lobos would gain an 18-15 lead, but NM State managed to knot the set at 22.
But, the Lobos would play undaunted late, parlaying kills by Warren and Sours and another Aggie error for a 25-23 win.
House continued her tremendous play with four more kills, but New Mexico relied more on late grit and more NM State miscues (16 total errors) for the win.
The Lobos look to build on their momentum Thursday as they head to Boise State for a 5 p.m. MT match in Boise, Idaho. UNM also plays at Air Force on Saturday before returning home the following week.