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Friday, 4 p.m. MT • Saturday, 11 a.m. MTIt only took them over a month, but for the first time this season, the Lobos are playing at home.
The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team plays its first home matches of the season this Friday and Saturday as it welcomes Colorado Mesa for a two-game series at Lucky 66 Bowl in Albuquerque.
The Lobos (8-9) are aiming to pick up momentum going into the latter stages of the season, and will look to turn two against a Maverick team (4-8) that has steadily improved during its second season in the sand.
“I’m looking forward to playing at home because we don’t get to do that very often,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said. “I really think we have to be much more focused and ready to go each time we play Colorado Mesa because they keep improving.”
After four weeks of matches on the road, the Lobos finally get to play in the Duke City, making a relatively rare home appearance in the sand.
This weekend just the fourth week in the program’s history that New Mexico plays at home.
But, this series vs. the Mavericks will be the fifth and sixth matches all-time against the Division II school from Grand Junction, Colorado, which will tie for the most matches UNM has ever played against a single school.
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| Ashley Kelsey |
And while New Mexico has won the previous four encounters — including a 4-1 victory last month in Phoenix — this weekend will be a test for the Lobos.
“They’re much improved from last year,” Nelson said. “… Their coach is doing a good job and they’re getting out, playing good teams and working on making their program better.”
However, the same could be said for Nelson and his staff of Pauline Manser and Daniel Foo.
Under Nelson and his staff, UNM has continued to show well in its third season of competition, winning five of its last seven as it battles some of the top teams in the nation.
And with a number of their more difficult matches behind them, the Lobos are approaching a stretch of matches where they can continue their winning ways and gain some momentum.
“I’m happy with what we’re doing,” Nelson said. “We have a run now where I think we can win a lot of matches so I think our record is going to improve a lot.”
Any run New Mexico makes will be keyed by its maturing lineup, which has played more cohesively over the past few matches.
Although Nelson knows what he’s getting from his top three pairs, the team’s No. 5 tandem of Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty have made great strides recently.
“Julia & Lauren are playing really well right now,” Nelson said. “They played really good ball last week and they tore through their opponents and it was great.”
The duo went undefeated last weekend at the Wildcat Spring Challenge and were named to the all-tournament team in Tucson. They’re currently 10-5 on the season.
Just two more days until our first home matches! Admission is free for students & kids 18 and under, all other tickets cost $5! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/nQLfYwIesP
— UNM Beach Volleyball (@UNMBeachVB) April 5, 2017
At the top of the order, UNM’s No. 1 tandem of Ashley Kelsey & Cassie House have been playing strongly over the past two weeks, routinely picking up big wins en route to a 9-8 record.
“Cassie & AK are a dangerous pair,” Nelson said. “It’s hard to play at the 1’s and they have a winning record. But playing at the 1’s is hard because you’re playing the best kids from every team.”
New Mexico’s No. 2 partnership of Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland have also been playing exceptionally well, posting a team-leading record of 12-5. They’ve won eight of their last 10 matches.
Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto have also logged some strong results from the No. 3 position, racking up an 11-5 record. The program leaders in career pairs wins with 34 victories, they’ve captured six of their last seven matches.
The final spot on the lineup has been in some flux over the course of the season as Nelson and his staff try out different pairs.
Last week, Victoria Spragg & Chloe Crappell played twice and have garnered praise from the coaching staff. Additionally, Jackie Baro & Carly Beddingfield have also seen significant action in the lineup, playing against top teams.
On the other side of the net, Colorado Mesa has improved, posting a 4-8 record this season after registered a 1-12 record during its first season of beach volleyball.
Although all four of their wins are against non-NCAA competition, the Mavericks have shown well, scoring a point against Loyola Marymount, CSUN and the Lobos back on March 4 in Phoenix.
The action starts on Friday with game one at 4 p.m. and continues Saturday at 11 a.m. for game two. Admission is free for students and children 18 and under, while all other tickets are $5.
Fans can follow @UNMBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!