PHOENIX — The 18th-ranked University of New Mexico beach volleyball team dropped a pair of contests to fellow nationally ranked squads on Friday, falling 4-1 to both No. 20 Loyola Marymount and No. 11 Grand Canyon.
The Lobos (1-2) played both the Lions (2-0) and Lopes (2-0) closely at the brand new GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium on the campus of Grand Canyon, but suffered their first losses of the year as they continued to open their third season.
“Today we played two really good teams,” New Mexico assistant coach Daniel Foo said. “We were challenging in every spot and we showed a lot of heart and effort, but I think we had a bit of a disappointment. … We challenged, but didn’t live up to the hype we should have been able to compete at.”
After a strong season-opening win against NAIA school Benedictine University at Mesa on Thursday — in which the every UNM pair swept — Friday’s slate proved to be bit more challenging.
Both Loyola Marymount and Grand Canyon are established beach teams, with the Lions entering their sixth year and the Lopes their fifth year of beach volleyball.
New Mexico, which has had some success against established programs, couldn’t translate its own burgeoning experience in either match. After faltering in a close dual vs. LMU, the Lobos struggled to rebound against GCU with a short turnaround thrown in between.
“I think we had a little bit of nerves in that first match, which can be expected in the second match of the year and the first big match of the season,” Foo said. “Going forward, we have to be able to reset after each match.”
The Lobos will get a chance to rebound on Saturday as they wrap up their opening weekend vs. Colorado Mesa at 9 a.m. MT and No. 15 TCU at 11 a.m. MT.
Match 1: No. 20 Loyola Marymount 4, No. 18 New Mexico 1
The Lobos’ second day of the season started off with an immense challenge, as they faced off against a veteran Lions squad familiar with the national polls.
And while LMU came up with the victory in the first matchup between both programs, New Mexico gave the Lions a run on Friday.
“In our first match against LMU, we had a lot of really good matches,” Foo said. The Lobos managed to win one court and took two other courts to three sets.
On the top-seeded court, New Mexico’s Cassie House & Ashley Kelsey battled against LMU’s Savannah Slattery & Sarah Sponcil, taking a late lead in set one. But the Lobo duo eventually fell 25-23 in the opening set, and dropped the second frame 21-19.
Eastyn Baleto & Marisa Doran also put up a strong effort on the No. 3 court, but fell 21-18, 15-21, 15-12 to Emma Dodd & Veronica Nederend.
After the flip to the second flight of courts, New Mexico managed to tally one match point, relying on the No. 5 tandem of Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty for a 15-21, 21-12, 15-4 win over Kristen Castellanos & Tatiana Schlange.
“It looked like Julia & Lauren came out with some nerves in the first set,” Foo said. “They lost that first set but then got in a groove and found themselves. They shook off some of those nerves and were in control in the second and third sets. They put LMU away in the third set.”
However, Loyola Marymount sealed the match with two final wins on courts two and four.
On the 2’s court, Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland fought to a third set, eventually falling 21-10, 15-21, 15-12 to Brittnay Estes & Kekai Whitford. On the 4’s court, Jackie Baro & Carly Beddingfield lost 21-10, 21-16 to Sara Kovac & Jessie Prichard.
Match 2: No. 11 Grand Canyon 4, No. 18 New Mexico 1
The Lobos had little time to regroup after their setback to Loyola Marymount as they immediately retook the sand to play Grand Canyon.
To add intrigue to this short turnaround was the occasion of the match, as New Mexico’s showdown vs. the Lopes was GCU’s first-ever home match inside its new facility. Grand Canyon managed to pack the arena, levying a significant home-court advantage against the Lobos.
“That was a great atmosphere,” Foo said. “It shows how invested GCU and the community at GCU is to beach volleyball. They had a huge crowd — I want to say close to 2,000 people. The stands were packed and it really brought the feeling of beach volleyball to the courts. It was an exciting atmosphere.”
Grand Canyon made use of its home crowd, quickly picking up points in the Nos. 1 and 3 positions.
House & Kelsey posted some strong plays but fell 21-11, 21-14 to Molly Turner & Tjasa Kotnik on the top-seeded court. Doran & Baleto also battled, but lost 21-16, 21-14 to Emily Reinking & Kelli Iverson on the No. 3 court.
The Lopes continued to score points after the switch to the second flight.
Baro & Beddingfield fell 21-8, 21-14 on the 5’s court to Jessica Stansfield & Tyanna Roy, while Warren & Twitty lost 21-16, 21-14 to on the 4’s court Emily Reinking & Kelli Iverson.
The Lobos did capture a point to finish the match, as Sours & Rugland outdueled GCU’s Rebecca Conrad & Jordyn Sanchez for a 21-17, 20-22, 15-10 win on the No. 2 court.
“One of our standout teams was definitely Devanne and Lise, who played two great matches today,” Foo said. “Both matches were to three, one win, one loss. But they had a really big win against GCU, who is a ranked opponent. We’re really happy about that.”
The pair moved to 2-1 on the young season.
LMU 4, UNM 1
1. Tatiana Schlange / Savannah Slattery (LMU) def. Cassie House / Ashley Kelsey (UNM) 25-23, 21-19
2. Brittnay Estes / Kekai Whitford (LMU) def. Devanne Sours / Lise Rugland (UNM) 21-10, 19-21, 15-12
3. Emma Dodd / Veronica Nederend (LMU) def. Eastyn Baleto / Marisa Doran (UNM) 21-18, 15-21, 15-12
4. Sara Kovac / Jessie Prichard (LMU) def. Jackie Baro / Carly Beddingfield (UNM) 21-10, 21-16
5. Julia Warren / Lauren Twitty (UNM) def. Kristen Castellanos / Tatiana Schlange (LMU) 15-21, 21-12, 15-4
GCU 4, UNM 1
1. Molly Turner / Tjasa Kotnik (GCU) def. Cassie House / Ashley Kelsey (UNM) 21-11, 21-14
2. Devanne Sours / Lise Rugland (UNM) def. Rebecca Conrad / Jordyn Sanchez (GCU) 21-17, 20-22, 15-10
3. Jessica Clark / Hannah Towne (GCU) def. Eastyn Baleto / Marisa Doran (UNM) 21-15, 21-19
4. Emily Reinking / Kelli Iverson (GCU) def. Julia Warren / Lauren Twitty (UNM) 21-16, 21-14
5. Jessica Stansfield / Tyanna Roy (GCU) def. Jackie Baro / Carly Beddingfield (UNM) 21-8, 21-14
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