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Saturday • 5 p.m. MT
Sunday • 11 a.m. MT
Sunday • 2 p.m. MTHalfway through the spring semester, the Lobos are busy with midterms, working through exams and papers in the classroom.
They’ll also take one more test this weekend, but this one is going to be decidedly more sandy.
The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team is heading back to Arizona as it plays three matches against Texas A&M-Kingsville, Arizona and host Arizona State as part of the Sun Devil Challenge.
After starting their 2017 campaign with a solid performance in Phoenix, the Lobos (2-3) are taking to Tempe as they face off against the Javelinas (4-1) on Saturday and the No. 9/12 Sun Devils (2-1) and the No. 13/8 Wildcats (1-2) on Sunday at the PERA Club.
“It’s another big weekend,” New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We’ve got two teams ranked in the top 10 in two different polls and a team we haven’t seen before. … We’re just trying to prepare for a few really big matches again, which is almost every weekend for us.”
As it was last week — and as it will be virtually every week this season — the Lobos will get to contend with some nationally ranked teams.
The Sun Devils, hot off a win over the Wildcats, are ranked ninth in the DiG Magazine Poll and 12th in the AVCA Poll, while Arizona is 13th and eighth, respectively.
New Mexico is receiving votes in both polls, and will look to take advantage of its competition this weekend to move up in the rankings. Last season, the Lobos parlayed two wins over ASU into a spot in the polls, rising up to a program-best 12th in the DiG poll last March.
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| Lauren Twitty |
However, UNM will probably look to some new pairing in its quest for improvement and wins.
Although the Lobos had success last weekend with three pairs posting at least three wins, Nelson and his staff acknowledges there’s room for improvement with the roster they currently have.
“We may make some changes in partnerships, we haven’t decided yet,” Nelson said. “We’ve got to look at all of our options and see what makes us the deepest all the way through.”
To open the season, New Mexico’s middle pairings (Nos. 2, 3 and 4) all racked up wins, helping power the squad to wins over Benedictine and Colorado Mesa.
Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty had the most success last weekend going 4-1 between the 4’s and 5’s positions. Out of the second position, Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland went 3-2, a record matched by Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto from the third position.
Along with their top pairing of Cassie House & Ashley Kelsey — who went 2-3 with a couple of losses in exceptionally closes matches — the Lobos have some strong duos that can challenge for points against top competition.
But with a number of players vying for playing time, UNM’s lineup may shift depending on matchups.
Carly Beddingfield (who played in all five matches last week) and Victoria Spragg are both tall, imposing blockers, while Jackie Baro (who started four matches last week), Emily Nenninger, Lyric Ellison and Chloe Crappell can also contribute as defenders.
On the other side of the net, New Mexico will have to contend with teams that are also looking for wins.
Texas A&M-Kingsville, a Division II school from Kingsville, Texas, began its inaugural season of beach volleyball with a perfect 4-0 record at the Javelina Beach Volleyball Invitational. The Javelinas defeated Stevenson University twice, and added wins over Principia College and Missouri Baptist University.
However, in Texas A&M-Kingsville’s first taste of Division I competition, the Javelinas fell 5-0 to Grand Canyon on Wednesday.
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| Ashley Kelsey |
Arizona, a participant in the inaugural NCAA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships in 2016, has lost two straight, 5-0 to Hawai’i and 3-2 to ASU. It’s the first time the Wildcats have lost back-to-back matches since their first season in 2014, but Nelson doesn’t think UA is any less talented.
“They did get upset last weekend, but it was the first weekend,” Nelson said. “I take that loss with a grain of salt and really look at what they have, who’s back and what they’ve added.”
Arizona is a talented team led by sisters Madison and McKenna Witt, who posted a 26-4 record last spring. The tandem is just 1-2 this season, falling in three sets to UH and ASU.
“Arizona has that great tandem at the 1’s,” Nelson said. “They’re a little bit different on down the lineup this year than last year. They’re big and physical and play great ball.”
Arizona State, under first-year head coach Brad Keenan, picked up one of the more impressive wins of the first weekend of the beach volleyball season with its 3-2 upset of Arizona in Tucson. .
“Their new coach is doing a really good job and they have their 1’s tandem back, which is a really good combination,” Nelson said. “There’s a lot to prepare for with ASU, too.”
The Sun Devils’ top pairing of Bianca Arellano & Whitney Follette are 2-1 and handed Arizona’s Witt twins a three-set loss in ASU’s upset of UA. Arizona State’s No. 2 tandem of Madison Berridge & Oluoma Okaro are also 2-1.
The series between New Mexico and Arizona State is tied 2-2, with the Sun Devils winning both matchups in 2015 and the Lobos claiming two wins last season.
Fans can follow @UNMBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!