ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Considering how well they play in Albuquerque, the Lobos may never want to play another road match again.
The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team captured its eighth straight home victory on Saturday, defeating Colorado Mesa 4-1 at Lucky 66 Bowl as it wrapped up its first homestand of the season with a pair of wins.
After 17 straight road matches to open the 2017 campaign, the Lobos (10-9) made the most of their home debut, relying on capacity crowds against the Mavericks (4-10) as they registered a 5-0 sweep on Friday before claiming Saturday’s rematch.
“It’s absolutely amazing to be back home,” New Mexico junior Ashley Kelsey said. “It’s a fantastic feeling to know that whether you’re up or down that you have the support of this whole community. This city comes out both games, the stands were full. Never for a second did I think that there was nobody cheering for us or not on our side. It was really nice to have everyone out.”
Along with a stellar showing from their hometown fans, the Lobos also received a strong showing in the sand, earning their seventh win in their last nine matches on Saturday.
After a 3-7 start to the season — where UNM came exceptionally close to some wins over highly ranked opponents — New Mexico is now above .500 for the first time since the opening day of the season.
The Lobos also moved to 6-0 all-time against Colorado Mesa, which is the most wins that the team has against a single opponent.
“They’re really a nice team to play,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said of CMU. “Even though we can out-physical them, they work really hard, so it’s good to play them.”
The Mavericks from Grand Junction, Colorado, gave New Mexico a strong fight in Saturday’s match, but the Lobos rolled on four of the five scoring courts to secure the win.
Kelsey and her partner Cassie House put UNM on the board first, notching a 21-18, 21-7 win over Erin Perez & Megan Gianinetti on the No. 2 court. Like the Lobos as a whole, House & Kelsey logged their seventh win in their last nine matches and improved to 11-8 on the season.
Next to finish was the tandem of Victoria Spragg & Chloe Crappell, as they combined for a 21-19, 21-14 win over Samantha Ritter & Katie Scherr on the No. 4 court.
After the switch to the second flight of courts, the Lobos continued to shine, picking up two more match points in dominant performances.
On the No. 5 court, Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty stormed to their fifth-straight win, knocking off Colorado Mesa’s Hattie Gianinetti & Natalie Todd 21-10, 21-12 to clinch the match for UNM.
Warren & Twitty are now 12-5 in 2017, just one win off the team lead in victories.
Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto, the co-team leaders in victories, improved to 13-5 on the season with a 21-16, 21-13 win over Kricket Adleman & Hana Peterman on the No. 3 court. With Saturday’s win Doran & Baleto have won eight of the last nine matches.
The only scoring court that New Mexico did not win was the top-seeded court, where Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland saw their run of success get snapped in a three-set defeat to Abby Ney & Taylor Woods.
The Lobo duo fell 18-21, 24-22, 15-13, ending a run of nine wins of their last 11 matches. Sours & Rugland are 13-6 on the season.
“Courts 2 through 5 were outstanding,” Nelson said. “Everyone of them rolled, and then we got to that last one and let it get away. But let’s give credit to the two from CMU. They kept balls in play, we hit some bad shots.”
On the exhibition court, New Mexico’s Lyric Ellison & Carly Beddingfield topped Lindy Dixon & Hailey Crane 21-13, 21-19.
The Lobos return to action next weekend as they head to Birmingham, Alabama, for the Blazer Beach Duals hosted by UAB. New Mexico will play Lincoln Memorial and UAB on Friday, April 14, followed by UT Martin and a rematch vs. UAB on Saturday, April 15.
New Mexico 4, Colorado Mesa 1
1. Abby Ney & Taylor Woods (CMU) def. Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland (UNM) 18-21, 24-22, 15-13
2. Cassie House & Ashley Kelsey (UNM) def. Erin Perez & Megan Gianinetti (CMU) 21-18, 21-7
3. Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto (UNM) def. Kricket Adleman & Hana Peterman (CMU) 21-16, 21-13
4. Victoria Spragg & Chloe Crappell (UNM) def. Samantha Ritter & Katie Scherr (CMU) 21-19, 21-14
5. Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty (UNM) def. Hattie Gianinetti & Natalie Todd (CMU) 21-10, 21-12
EX. Lyric Ellison & Carly Beddingfield (UNM) def. Lindy Dixon & Hailey Crane (CMU) 21-13, 21-19
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5*, 3, 1
*Cinched dual win
Fans can follow @UNMBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!