BOISE, Idaho — The University of New Mexico volleyball team received 23 kills from its trio of senior outside hitters and a solid overall defensive effort, but fell 3-0 to Boise State on Thursday evening, 20-25, 17-25, 22-25.
Julia Warren (nine kills), Cassie House (eight) and Devanne Sours (six) provided the Lobos (11-12, 1-8 Mountain West) with some offense and Ashley Kelsey chipped in 16 digs, but the Broncos (16-6, 7-2) rode their high-powered offense to the win at Bronco Gym.
“We got a very solid performance out of Julia tonight,” 10th-year New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said, “but unfortunately she tweeked her leg in game two and we didn’t pull together. It was a disappointing match after really pulling together on Sunday. We need to get more consistent performances in many positions.”
After snapping a seven-game losing streak their last time out vs. New Mexico State on Sunday, the Lobos could never stem Boise State’s conference-leading offense on Thursday.
The Broncos entered the match leading the league in kills per set and assists per set, and out-performed UNM in both. Boise State finished with 48 kills on 46 assists, while UNM posted 31 kills on 31 assists.
Overall, BSU hit .295 (48 kills-15 errors-112 attacks), with the Lobos posting a .158 hitting percentage (31-16-95). Boise State’s Sierra Nobley, the MW’s Preseason Player of the Year, finished with 17 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
“We needed to serve tougher and manage their outside hitter better,” Nelson said.
But, despite the loss, New Mexico’s defense outperformed Boise State’s, which ranked first in the MW in digs per set and third in blocks per set.
The Lobos registered 46 digs to the Broncos’ 44, and nabbed a two-block advantage, 8-6.
Outside of its three senior pinhitters, New Mexico earned five kills from Victoria Spragg, who also tied for game-high honors in total blocks with four.
Lise Rugland (16 assists) and Carson Heilborn (14) continued to split setting duties, as both posted double-digit assists for the second time in four matches.
Defensively, Kelsey’s performance anchored UNM, with Sours and Warren both adding eight digs each. House and Mariessa Carrasco both tallied three total blocks as UNM won the battle at the net for the fourth straight match.
Boise State opened set one by taking a 4-1 lead, but the Lobos went on a 5-2 streak to tie things up at 6-all. That sparked a flurry of even play, as both teams exchanged runs into a 13-13 score. The Broncos would gain all the separation they would need, however, scoring three straight points to take a 16-13 lead that they would not relinquish.
The Lobos would stay within three points as both teams traded points for 11 consecutive plays, but a pair of late setting errors gave Boise State a 25-20 win. Warren led New Mexico with four kills in the set, but the Lobos were beset by miscues, hitting .000 with nine kills against nine errors.
New Mexico’s blocking was strong to open, as the Lobos recorded four stuffs in the first frame.
UNM rebounded well to start the second set, flying to a 7-3 lead as Boise State committed five errors. But the Broncos would answer right away, reeling off a 6-1 run to take a 9-8 lead.
Three consecutive kills by Carrasco, House and Sours gave the lead back to New Mexico at 13-11, but Boise State’s offense started to click as the Broncos closed on a 14-4 run to win set two 25-17.
House and Warren each posted two kills each to lead UNM in set two as the Lobos hit a respectable .227. Nonetheless, Boise State’s late offense granted the home team a .417 success rate.
After a quick intermission, New Mexico grabbed an early 2-1 lead before Boise State went ahead 11-6 via a 3-0 run. The Broncos would expand their lead to seven points at 17-10.
However, UNM stayed within striking distance, cutting Boise State’s lead to four points at 22-18. Coming out of a timeout, the Lobos continued to apply pressure, staving off three straight BSU match-point opportunities as they posted a 4-1 run to draw to within two points at 24-22.
But, after taking a timeout, the Broncos scored the final point of the match to win set three 25-22.
Spragg and House paced New Mexico with four kills apiece in the third stanza, with Sours and Warren logging three each. UNM had its best numbers in the period, hitting .294 and notching four blocks. However, BSU hit .406 for the win.
The Lobos return to action on Saturday as they head to the Air Force Academy to play the Falcons at 5 p.m. MT. New Mexico’s only conference win of the year came against Air Force on September 22 in Albuquerque.