ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Different day, different Lobos.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team registered a dominant bounce-back win over Utah State Saturday afternoon in Johnson Center, earning its eighth sweep of the season by set scores of 25-20, 25-22, 25-17.
After struggling Thursday night in an uneven performance vs. Boise State, the Lobos (10-6 overall, 2-2 Mountain West) rallied in a big way, claiming the win as they snapped the five-game win streak of the Aggies (11-5, 3-1).
“The other night was something else,” junior middle blocker Mariessa Carrasco said, “but today was a really big win and Utah State is a really great team. I think this puts us in a really great place in the conference and we just have to keep pushing forward from here.”
Coming off their Thursday setback and facing a red-hot team, the outlook for New Mexico heading into Saturday’s match was unclear.
But the Lobos showed no ill effects against Utah State as they controlled the match and tamed the Aggies.
“We just decided that we needed light a fire and, especially after Thursday, we needed make our fans proud and do something for New Mexico,” Carrasco said.
Carrasco provided the hometown fans plenty to cheer for Saturday during the team’s annual “Whiteout” match, supplying eight kills on a .412 hitting percentage (8 kills, 1 error, 17 attempts) to go with five total blocks.
Along with another strong match from sophomore outside hitter Lauren Twitty (15 kills, six digs) and solid showings from Victoria Spragg (six kills, .667 attack percentage), Yasmin Tan (six kills) and Carly Beddingfield (five kills), UNM’s offense helped power the Lobos to the win.
Carson Heilborn added a game-high 30 assists to pace New Mexico to a .277 team hitting percentage (43-15-101).
The Lobos rebound in a big way, sweeping Utah State in straight sets, 25-20, 25-22, 25-27! #GoLobos #UNMatched pic.twitter.com/4fTOBPUOa1
— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) September 30, 2017
“We can play a really high level and we have to do it more and more and keep getting better,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We just have to keep improving.”
Serving also proved to be a key component for the Lobos, as they notched four aces — including two by Mercedes Pacheco — and kept the Aggies from setting up their offense.
“I think our serving kept us in the game and threw [Utah State] off balance,” Carrasco said. “It took some of their really strong hitters out.”
Defensively, the Lobos out-blocked Utah State 6-5, while also notching the advantage in digs, 39-35.
Pacheco posted a game-best 11 digs (her first match with double-figure digs in two weeks), while Hailey Rubino collected eight and Ashley Kelsey seven.
The Lobos got out to a strong start in set one, moving ahead 6-2 after scoring five straight points. Utah State would cut into the lead, eventually overtaking UNM at 16-15 via a 4-0 run.
The Aggies would extend the margin to two points at 18-16, but New Mexico retook the lead for good after uncorking a 7-0 run fueled by back-to-back Pacheco aces and two Heilborn kills. UNM would eventually win 25-20 on Twitty’s seventh kill of the set.
Twitty’s offense in the first set highlighted a stellar showing from the Lobos, as they hit a collective .452 in the frame (18-4-31).
Set two played out exceptionally closely, with neither team exerting more than a three-point lead the entire set. New Mexico opened with the first three-point advantage at 7-4, and finished with the other three-point advantage at the end, winning 25-22.
The second set included 13 ties and four lead changes, but no lead change was as important as the Lobos’ moving ahead at 17-16. Tan scored four straight UNM points, eliminating a 16-15 USU lead as UNM won by three points.
Both team’s hit very similarly in the frame, with UNM’s .259 clip (12-5-27) just barely eclipsing Utah State’s .258 mark (14-6-31).
New Mexico came out quickly in the third set, zooming out to a 4-0 lead to force an Aggie timeout. The Lobos would continue to build their lead, moving ahead 12-4, until Utah State cut the deficit to four points at 15-11.
But UNM notched three straight points to effectively quash Utah State’s rally, and cruised to a comfortable 25-17 win.
Beddingfield posted three of her kills in the set, and USU struggled to convert, hitting .000 in the set (9-9-39).
The Lobos will return to action next Thursday as they play at Nevada before heading to San Jose State for a Saturday match.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!