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New Mexico vs. Youngstown State
New Mexico vs. Tennessee TechPlaying on the road for the third week in the first five weeks of the season, the Lobos are familiar with road trips.
But for a young team that is still growing, every week is new adventure.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to the Blue/Gold Invitational in Toledo, Ohio, as it closes out the tournament portion of its non-conference schedule.
After posting its third straight 2-1 record last week at the Lobo Classic, UNM (6-3) is looking for a complete weekend of volleyball as it plays Youngstown State (5-6), Tennessee Tech (2-7) and host Toledo (3-6) at Savage Arena.
“We have a good weekend coming up,” assistant coach JJ Glavan said. “I think this will be a good weekend for us to prep and get ready for our conference season.”
With Mountain West play kicking off next week, this trip to Ohio gives the youthful Lobos and their freshmen-heavy roster a chance to continue improving on their early season successes.
The first three weeks of the season have been filled with highlights for New Mexico, including five sweeps and a thrilling five-set win over Portland at the Lobo Classic.
“We’re proud of our team so far and where they’re going and the direction that we’re taking,” Glavan said. “But we still know we have a lot of growing and learning to do to get to the point that we want to be for our conference season.”
Building on their victories is the next step for the Lobos as they close out tournament play.
However, the opening-act storyline for the Lobos has been the play of their veterans. Sophomore outside Lauren Twitty has taken over as the team’s primary offensive weapon, while senior libero Ashley Kelsey has also provided key leadership and defense from the back row.
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“We had two strong performances last week,” Glavan said, “one from our sophomore outside Lauren Twitty, who was named our tournament MVP, and then our senior libero Ashley Kelsey, who was named oustanding libero of our tournament.”
Twitty leads the Lobos with 99 kills on the season, with freshman outside hitter Hailey Rubino (69 kills) and junior middle blockers Mariessa Carrasco (69) and Victoria Spragg (62) also contributing.
Kelsey anchors New Mexico’s floor defense with 137 digs, good for an average of 4.72 per set. Junior defensive specialist Mercedes Pacheco (77 digs) has also provided strong defense.
UNM also has junior setter Carson Heilborn putting up solid number (288 assists, 9.93/set).
But the Lobos’ freshmen have also played key roles to start, with both Rubino (74 digs) and Yasmin Tan (17 kills, eight total blocks) contributing offensively and defensively.
“We’re continuing to grow and getting better every single match,” Glavan said.
Getting better is the goal this weekend in Ohio as New Mexico faces a challenging if not manageable slate.
UNM and Youngstown State are facing off for the second time this season, having met up two weeks ago at the Glory Road Invitational in El Paso. However, after a 4-0 start to the season, the Penguins have gone 1-6, including a three-set loss to the Lobos.
All-time, New Mexico is 2-0 vs. YSU.
Toledo owns a 3-6 record so far in 2017, winning once each weekend to open the season with victories against Quinnipiac, Southeastern Louisiana and Marshall. However, the Rockets took Maryland to five sets and scored a set win in a 3-1 setback to Virginia Tech last week.
After starting the season with back-to-back wins, Tennessee Tech has dropped seven in a row, with five sweeps during that span. The Golden Eagles have beaten North Carolina Central and The Citadel but have also lost to Campbell, Akron and Loyola (Md.).
The Lobos have never played Tennessee Tech and have faced Toledo once before, a 3-0 win in in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 8, 1988.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!