RENO, Nev. — Heading into Wednesday’s match, the Lobos were 8-0 all-time against Nevada.
And with one player aiming for a milestone and the team looking for a strong finish to the season, they stayed true to history.
Ashley Kelsey eclipsed 1,000 career digs, Julia Warren and Devanne Sours both posted double-digits kills and Lise Rugland logged a double-double as the University of New Mexico volleyball team swept Nevada 3-0 Wednesday night.
Behind strong play across the board, including Kelsey’s milestone, the Lobos (15-15, 5-11 Mountain West) jumped all over the Wolf Pack (18-10, 9-7 MW) at the Virginia Street Gym, parlaying a two-set lead into a sweep, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21.
“I was really happy with the way we played,” 10th-year New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We played really steady and solid. I thought our team had a lot of fun playing tonight.”
Kelsey’s 1,000th career dig was just one of many fun performances for the Lobos, as they moved to .500 with two games remaining on the season.
Kelsey, a redshirt junior from Ewa Beach, Hawai’i, posted 11 digs to become the 15th Lobo in program history — and the second this season along with Warren — to reach 1,000 career digs.
Kelsey currently has 1,005 career digs, tied with Jannelle Torres and Nana Allison for 13th all-time at UNM. Kelsey also has 488 digs this season, which is the fourth-best single-season mark in program history.
“It was really great to see that,” Nelson said. “She’s had an amazing year and I’m really happy for her for that. I think that this has been her best year yet and it was fun to see her get that tonight.”
However, Kelsey wasn’t the only player producing for the Lobos, as Warren and Sours, both seniors, paced UNM’s offense with 15 and 12 kills, respectively.
Along with eight kills and two aces from freshman Lauren Twitty, the Lobos hit .224, with 39 kills and 15 errors on 107 attempts.
Rugland ran the offense, dishing out 30 assists, and added her first career double-double with a career-best 11 digs.
New Mexico’s defense also performed superbly on Wednesday, as the Lobos out-blocked the Wolf Pack 11-5. Mariessa Carrasco (seven blocks) and Warren (career high-tying five) led the charge, with Victoria Spragg and Twitty (three each) also contributing.
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“We spent a lot of time this week running Nevada’s offense,” Nelson said. “We knew what they were doing. We did some commit blocking, which made it a little easier for us.”
Nevada hit just .122 (39-25-115), just the second time all season the Wolf Pack hit under .220 at home all season.
The Lobos opened the match strongly, taking a 7-2 lead as Warren notched a pair of kills. New Mexico would extend its lead to 10-4, but Nevada uncorked a 9-1 run to claim a 13-11 advantage. However, the Lobos responded with five straight points (with all five scored on Nevada errors) to regain a 16-13 lead.
The Wolf Pack would come to within three points a couple of instances late, but UNM tallied five of the final seven points of the set — with Sours logging four kills in that span — to win the frame 25-20.
Warren had a set-best five kills, while Sours’ late surge gave her four kills for the set. Kelsey also snagged her milestone in the set, posting seven digs.
Nevada opened the second set like New Mexico did the first, jumping to a 7-3 lead. The Wolf Pack would maintain their lead through 10-7, but the Lobos reeled off a 10-2 run to claim a 17-12 lead.
The Wolf Pack would return the favor with a 6-1 run, knotting the score at 18-all. That set off a streak of six ties, as both teams traded points. Nevada would take a lead a 23-22, but a Warren kills followed by two Wolf Pack errors powered UNM to a 25-23 set-two win.
Warren and Twitty each had five kills in the set as the Lobos hit .250 (13-5-32) in the set.
The third set was another tight affair, as both teams fought to six ties through 16 serves. The Lobos pulled ahead 11-8 via a 4-0 run, and extended their advantage to 15-11 after a Twitty kill.
Nevada would tie the set at 16 after registering a 5-1 run, but New Mexico gained the separation is needed, scoring three straight points to earn a 20-17 lead and to force a Wolf Pack timeout. Nevada would get to within two points late at 21-19, but the Lobos remained composed, notching four of the final six points of the match to win set three 25-21.
Warren (six kills) and Sours (five) continued to lead the way as New Mexico held the Wolf Pack to a .133 hitting percentage.
The Lobos return to action Saturday as they host San Diego State at 2 p.m. MT in Johnson Center for Senior Day. The team will honor its four seniors — Sours, Warren, Cassie House and Marisa Doran — prior to the match.