ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Finally playing in the Duke City, the Lobos made sure to start their weekend with some home cooking.
The University of New Mexico volleyball team posted a sweep in its 2017 home opener, defeating UT Arlington in straight sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-14, as it kicked off the Lobo Classic in Johnson Center.
The Lobos (5-2) rode a strong and balanced team effort vs. the Mavericks (5-2), with five players logging at least five kills in the team’s fifth sweep on the season. All five of UNM’s wins — and all seven of its matches — have been played to three sets.
Mariessa Carrasco and Lauren Twitty both finished tied with the game high in kills, notching eight each, while Victoria Spragg (five kills), Hailey Rubino (five) and Carly Beddingfield (four) also contributed.
Carrasco finished with a superb .636 attack percentage, posting her eight kills on just 11 attempts. Spragg also hit well, with a .400 (5-1-9) clip.
As a team, the Lobos hit .278, with 33 kills and 11 errors on 79 attempts. It’s the first time since 2015 that UNM won a match with no players finishing with double-digit kills.
But, unlike last year’s matchup with UTA that saw New Mexico score 72 kills in a 3-1 wn, the Lobos didn’t need an offensive bombardment to emerge victorious on Friday.
UNM’s defense and serving proved to be effective vs. the Mavericks, as New Mexico registered eight total blocks and seven aces.
UT Arlington hit negative .067 (22-28-90) in the match, the first time since the 2016 season opener vs. Abilene Christian that the Lobos held a team to a negative hitting percentage.
Spragg tallied one block solo to go with three block assists, with Carrasco and Beddingfield adding four blocks each. Twitty and Ashley Kelsey finished with two aces apiece.
Kelsey’s 12 digs were tops in the contest, while Carson Heilborn recorded 25 assists.
New Mexico started the match off strongly, storming to a 10-4 lead behind two Twitty kills and six UTA errors. Both teams would alternate points for 12 serves en route to a 19-14 Lobo lead, but four straight points gave UNM a 23-14 advantage.
Kills by Carrasco and Rubino gave New Mexico its final margin, a 25-17 win. UNM hit .393 (14-3-28) in the opening set, with Rubino (five kills) and Twitty (four) leading the way.
The second opened more closely, with UTA taking an early 10-7 lead. But New Mexico uncorked a 12-4 run to go up 20-15, and finished with five of the last seven points of the set for a 25-18 win.
Twitty and Carrasco had four kills each, with Beddingfield chipping in three of her own. UNM also scored three aces in the frame.
Coming out of intermission, both teams again played it tight, with a 6-6 tie through 12 serves. But the Lobos broke the set open with a 9-2 stretch, moving ahead 15-8. UTA would score four straight to make it 15-12, but New Mexico finished on a 10-2 run — including an emphatic match winner by freshman Danica Rowan — to win in 25-14.
UNM tallied four aces in the set, while simultaneously holding UTA to a negative .200 hitting percentage (6-11-25).
The Lobos are back in action later Friday night, hosting Portland at 7:30 p.m. The Pilots (6-1) were 3-1 winners over Northern Colorado earlier Friday morning.
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