Final Season Notes | Final Season Stats | History & Records
Every season in every sport has its share of trials and tribulations. Sometimes, the issues are minor and easy to work through, sometimes the problems prove to be more troublesome.
But the mark of a good team is the ability to fight through the obstacles and still perform despite everything else going on.
For the 2016 Lobos, they made that mark.
Despite a number of significant injuries to key players, the 2016 University of New Mexico volleyball team played with resiliency and resolve, rallying behind its tremendous group of upperclassmen to post a milestone-filled season that belied the team’s 16-16 record.
The Lobos never gave in during their 2016 season that featured injuries and health issues to six starters throughout the season. Even during a injury-plagued seven-game losing streak during September and October, The Lobos rebounded late to secure another .500-or-better season under 10th-year head coach Jeff Nelson.
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| Julia Warren |
“I think it was a difficult season in that you never plan on having the injuries we had or that kind of continual turmoil to your lineup,” Nelson said. “But putting that in perspective, I think the team battled well and fought hard.”
Over the course of the year, Nelson and the Lobos had four starters miss matches due to injuries, with two sustaining season-ending injuries.
The most significant was arguably losing team captain Julia Warren for multiple matches, but year-ending injuries to setter Carson Heilborn and middle blocker J’Kaylee Clark also made an impact.
Combined with other health issues, New Mexico struggled to stay healthy all season. But, in spite of getting bit hard by the injury bug, the Lobos stayed competitive.
“They fought hard and I think it showed good character,” Nelson said. “Minus of a couple of injuries, I think it would have been a lot different, but you’ve got to play with the cards you’re dealt and I think we did our best with it.”
And, in retrospect, the Lobos did do their best with the hand they were dealt.
With their 16-16 record, it was the ninth time New Mexico finished the season with a record of .500 or better under Nelson. And the Lobos were a few points from picking up more wins.
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| Devanne Sours |
On top of that, the team’s star-laden group of upperclassmen racked up the milestones and made their marks in the program’s record books.
Warren, a outside hitter/libero from Albuquerque, was the first player to capture a career mark, as she claimed her 1,000th-career dig on September 8 vs. Arkansas. The three-time All-Mountain West player finished her time at UNM with another all-conference plaudit and ranked fifth in career digs with 1,201 digs.
Cassie House, a senior outside hitter from Rio Rancho, N.M., was next up, notching her 1,000th career kill on October 8 vs. Wyoming. The Lobos’ leader in kills this season (373 kills), House capped her career seventh in career kills (1,143), sixth in career attempts (3,050) and ninth in career points (1336.0).
Ashley Kelsey, a junior outside hitter/libero from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, added her own milestone as she notched her 1,000th career dig vs. Nevada on November 16. She currently sits 11th all-time at UNM with 1,040 digs after posting 523 digs in 2016 — the third-best single-season total in program history.
Devanne Sours, a senior outside hitter from Tatum, N.M., was the final Lobo to earn a milestone, notching her 1,000th (and final) career kill in the Lobos’ season finale vs. UNLV on November 22. She finished with exactly 1,000 kills (good for 13th in program history) and ranks seventh all-time with 2,961 attempts.
“Those are great marks and I’m really happy for those kids,” Nelson said. “Devanne, Cassie, Julia and AK all reached marks and AK is certainly going to go further next year. But those are great marks for kids that have done a lot for the program. I think it’s nice that they have those and it’s certainly well-deserved.”
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| Cassie House |
That group powered the team for most of the year, finishing with 69 percent of the team’s kills (1033 out of 1506), and 67 percent of the team’s digs (1088 out of 1619) and service aces (109 out of 162).
The only major statistical categories that the group didn’t lead the team in was assists and blocks.
But Heilborn (693 assists) and redshirt junior Lise Rugland (522) handled the setting duties well, with Rugland performing exceptionally well after Heilborn went down with her injury.
Redshirt sophomores Victoria Spragg (118 total blocks, 16 block solos) and Mariessa Carrasco (96, 10) also took on most of the production at the net, with House (72, 12) also contributing.
Freshman Lauren Twitty (91 kills, seven starts) also showed promise backing up UNM’s talented group of senior outside hitters that also featured Marisa Doran, who provided key leadership during the entire season. Albuquerque products Mercedes Pacheco (114 digs) and Maddie Mayfield (81 digs, nine aces) also played important roles in the back row.
The season started off about as well as the Lobos could have expected, as New Mexico swept Abilene Christian and beat Arizona State on opening day. The Lobos suffered a couple of losses during non-conference play, but overall, they showed well, beating Arkansas and giving then-No. 1 Nebraska a battle in front of over 4,000 fans inside WisePies Arena.
“We went 10-4 in non-conference and I think that was good,” Nelson said. “… I think it was a pretty good preseason and it really set the tone for us.”
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| Ashley Kelsey |
But, injuries would take their toll during the non-conference slate. New Mexico lost Clark in a 3-1 setback to South Florida on September 2, and Warren went down in a 3-2 loss to Samford on September 17.
The next week, the Lobos opened MW play without Warren, sweeping Air Force before falling 3-2 to MW champion Boise State in Johnson Center. It was a close match — UNM had match point in the fourth set — and it showed New Mexico could still be competitive despite injuries.
However, without Warren and with other health issues mounting, New Mexico struggled.
“Julia got hurt and we lost her for several matches and only had her back row for three more,” Nelson said. “That was huge blow, and it reflected, because we probably had our worst run in the last 10 years during that period while she was out.”
When Warren returned on October 11 vs. UNLV, the Lobos started to rebound. They snapped their seven-game losing streak with a rivalry win over New Mexico State on October 16, and finished the season winning six of their final 11, including a stretch of four wins in five games.
“We reversed some losses that we had earlier in the year,” Nelson said. “We got some sweeps closing out. I think if we could have kept our team intact and managed through some things better, I think the season could have gone better.”
But, despite everything else that went on during the season, the Lobos still had a productive season. They battled through the trials and tribulations and never gave up, compiling milestones and record marks during the season.
It might not have been the season everyone expected, but at the end of the season, New Mexico was a good team in 2016.