Last year, in the program’s second season of competition, the Lobos showed they were for real, winning 17 matches as they competed against the best of the nation.
This year, behind a talented cast of experienced players, they showed they had staying power, winning 17 matches as they competed against the best of the nation.
But don’t think that the last two season were played on repeat.
If anything, the Lobos are building onwards and upwards.
The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team posted another strong season during its third of year of play, notching a 17-10 record as it continued to make strides towards building a top-flight program.
The Lobos, under head coach Jeff Nelson and assistant coaches Pauline Manser and Daniel Foo, continued to shine in Year No. 3, rebounding from a difficult opening stretch as they matched the program record in single-season wins.
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| Ashley Kelsey | |
“I thought we were even a little better this year than last year,” Nelson said. “I think last year, we surprised people. And this year, we had a tougher schedule overall and won the same amount of games.”
As more and more schools add beach volleyball — over 60 teams competed in the NCAA in 2017 — the divide between the sport’s elite and the sport’s contenders grows. More beach teams are composed of just beach-only players, while UNM features a mix of beach and indoor players.
But New Mexico, powered by a veteran lineup, showed it was up to the task, finishing the 2017 season receiving votes in both national polls.
“We finished receiving votes in both the AVCA and the DiG Magazine Poll,” Nelson said. “I saw a lot improvement … With each year, you learn a little more. Not just how to coach or how to play, but how to even make your way through the season.”
Facing off against a challenging and front-loaded schedule to start the season, the Lobos had their work cut out for them at the start.
But, despite opening the year 3-7 with all seven losses to nationally ranked teams, Nelson and his team rebounded, winning 14 of their final 17 games.
That stretch featured victories over established teams like California, Santa Clara, CSU Bakersfield, UAB and Colorado Mesa.
It was a stretch of success that paralleled the 2016’s team’s run of success, as that squad won 13 of 14 matches. But this season, the runs differed in how UNM played.
“When we played weaker teams, we were very clinical and didn’t keep them in matches at all,” Manser said. “We didn a really good job playing through weaker competition, and that’s a good sign of developing confidence and playing more consistently.”
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| Cassie House | |
The Lobos finished the 2017 season with 11 sweeps, one more than the previous two years combined.
The team’s confidence really showed during the latter half of the season, as New Mexico reeled off seven straight wins — the second-longest winning streak in program history — with an undefeated weekend in Birmingham, Alabama.
That momentum continued into the final week of the year as UNM earned its first-ever win over a ranked team in a 3-2 defeat of No. 20 California and a pair of wins over Air Force.
“Beating Cal at the end was really good since they were ranked,” Nelson said. “That was a good win against a Pac-12 team to cap things off. But we played really tough with everyone. There weren’t any bad losses.”
New Mexico’s success as a team was fueled by its balance in its lineup, as four pairings logged over 17 wins on the season.
From the No. 1 position, Cassie House & Ashley Kelsey posted a 17-10 record and were on the cusp of earning an invitation to the national pairs championships, while Devanne Sours & Lise Rugland posted the second-most single-season wins en route to a 20-7 record.
Additionally, Marisa Doran & Eastyn Baleto combined for an 18-7 record, and Julia Warren & Lauren Twitty registered a sterling record of 17-5, the second-best single-season winning percentage in program history (.773).
Newcomers Victoria Spragg and Carly Beddingfield and veteran Chloe Crappell also had productive seasons for the Lobos.
“Last year we talked a lot about learning and I think this year we were able to start farther along and go farther,” Nelson said.
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| Maddie Mayfield | |
Although New Mexico loses four seniors (Sours, Rugland, Doran and Warren), there’s a lot of experience returning as the team looks to continuing building the program.
Redshirt seniors-to-be Kelsey & House are expected to be force as they play in their third season as UNM’s No. 1 tandem. Baleto, who owns the program lead in individual wins at 50, will be looked to for more consistency in her senior season.
Along with a developing group of veterans and a deep class of newcomers, the Lobos will have the pieces to continue their burgeoning run of success.
Add in the prospects of joining a conference for the 2018 season and UNM’s forecast is looking like fun in the sun.
“I think the kids that have the advantage next year are the kids that are playing in their third and fourth years,” Nelson said. “That will be the first time we’ve had that and I think it’s going to be a huge advantage for those kids. I’m really excited about the kids coming in for beach.”
And the Lobos didn’t just succeed on the court this season.
The team combined for a 3.83 GPA during the spring semester, the highest-ever team mark for any volleyball team at UNM. Doran also earned a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, which is the first major postseason award New Mexico has received.
“That’s off the charts,” Nelson said of the team’s academic success. “We’re really excited about that and really proud of them. I just think they’re doing really good things.”
Off the court and on the court, that much is true.
These sandy Lobos are doing some very, very good things.
Fans can follow @UNMBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!