ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Under 11th-year head coach Jeff Nelson, the University of New Mexico volleyball program has added four new players to its 2017-18 recruiting class, bringing its total number of new players for the upcoming academic year to nine.
Sarah Lobo, Kayla Long, Erin Martin and Abbey Willison have all committed to play for the Lobos for the upcoming 2017-18 seasons, joining signees Nicolette Clark, Hailey Rubino, Morgan Schreckler, Yasmin Tan and Danica Rowan.
Lobo, Long and Willison will play both indoor and beach volleyball for New Mexico, while Martin will join the program as a beach-only player. For the indoor team, New Mexico will be adding eight freshmen to its 2017 roster.
“This is the cap on a great recruiting year,” Nelson said. “Our staff has done a great job filling the upcoming needs of the program. With only one senior this year in indoor, I am excited to see the team develop. In beach, we have a couple more seniors, but we have great experience and ball control in this class.”
Hailing from Miami, Lobo comes to the Lobos from Gulliver Prep, where she lettered in volleyball for five years with the Raiders. While she was there, Gulliver logged a pair of runner-up finishes in the Miami-Dade District in 2015 and 2016. Gulliver was also a regional semifinalist last fall.
A three-year starter at setter for Gulliver, Lobo earned All Miami-Dade honors her final three years of high school. She also earned the Gulliver Outstanding Achievement Award in 2014, Gulliver Most Valuable Player Award in 2015 and Gulliver Prestigious Raider Award for Leadership and Outstanding Play in 2016.
“Sarah is a very good setter who will provide stability and depth to our setting position,” Nelson said. “She is a hard worker and a high-achiever and I am excited to get to work with her.”
She was also named to the Under Armour Phenom Watch List in 2015 and Under Armour All-American Watch List in 2016.
Long joins New Mexico after four years of volleyball at Empire High School in Tucson, Arizona. She was named All-Section First Team and All-State Honorable Mention all four years as a Raven and was named MVP in back-to-back season to cap her career.
While at Empire, Long helped her team to an undefeated season and a Division III Section III championship in 2014 and a Division III Section II championship in 2013. She finished as Empire’s career leader in assists.
“Kayla is an outstanding passer and defender,” Nelson said. “She is hard-working very vocal and competitive. She brings a good amount of experience and is ready to compete for playing time in our program.”
Additionally, Long was a member of USA Volleyball Arizona High Performance Volleyball Team in 2015 and 2016.
Willison is a local product, graduating from Sandia High School in Albuquerque. While at Sandia, Willison lettered in volleyball for three years and was selected to the 2016 Albuquerque All-Metro All-Academic Team and 2016-17 First Team.
She helped the Matadors and head coaches Kristopher Borland and Megan Holland to a metro championship in 2015 and a district championship in 2016.
“Abbey is a physical athlete that is tall and strong and will be a good player for us both indoor and beach,” Nelson said. “She brings more height to the team and will be a very good blocker early on.”
At the club level, Willison has qualified to nationals in beach volleyball three times, most recently as part of the Albuquerque Beach Volleyball Academy.
Martin rounds out this group of new Lobos, joining New Mexico via Horizon High School in Thornton, Colorado. A decorated beach player, Martin lettered in volleyball for two years at Horizon, claiming Freshman of the Year honors and MVP and Honorable Mention All-Conference honors as a sophomore.
In the sand, Martin placed sixth at the 2016-17 Queen of the Beach Women’s Open/Main Draw, which was the highest finish ever by a player under age 21.
“Erin is a beach-only player who is a very mature and composed player for her age,” Nelson said. “She plays a lot of women’s open tournaments and will compete to be in our beach lineup right away. She will be a defender that is very experienced.”
As part of the Rocky Mountain Region High Performance Team, Martin has notched three straight top-20 finishes at the USAV High Performance Championships, and is a four-time Rocky Mountain Region Championships. She was rated RMR’s top pair from 2014 to 2016.
The Lobos open their 2017 season on August 19 with an alumni match. The first regular-season home match is September 8 as UNM hosts the Lobo Classic.
Fans can follow @UNMVolley on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!