ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mariessa Carrasco posted 12 kills on a .323 hitting percentage and Yasmin Tan continued to set career highs in kills, but it wasn’t enough as the University of New Mexico volleyball team dropped a 3-1 match to San Diego State on Thursday evening.
Despite some solid individual performances in Johnson Center, the Lobos (10-9 overall, 2-5 Mountain West) continued to struggled playing complete matches, falling 20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 27-25 to the Aztecs (9-11, 3-4).
“We think that because they won the first game, they’re going to roll over,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said. “And it’s bad leadership, and it’s bad form.”
Carrasco and Tan highlighted New Mexico’s effort vs. San Diego State, combining for 21 of the team’s 47 kills. Along with Carrasco’s 12 putaways, Tan logged nine kills, setting or matching a career best for the fourth-straight contest.
Both also managed solid hitting percentages, with Tan hitting a personal-best .400 (9 kills, 1 error, 20 attempts) and Carrasco converting a .323 clip (12-2-31).
As a team, UNM hit .173, not all that far behind San Diego State’s .202 percentage. However, SDSU finished with 66 kills.
Elsewhere, Lauren Twitty posted her seventh double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs, adding a career-best four blocks.
Carrasco (five blocks) and Victoria Spragg (seven kills, season-high seven blocks) also contributed to the Lobos’ blocking, as UNM finished with a season-best 13 total blocks.
The Lobos’ 13 blocks are the most since finishing with 13.5 vs. New Mexico State last October, and it’s the first time UNM had posted three straight matches with double-digit blocks since finishing the 2015 season with three such matches.
Hailey Rubino and Ashley Kelsey both finished with 13 digs apiece to pace New Mexico’s floor defense.
UNM opened the match on a tear, translating five SDSU errors into a 10-3 lead. But a 9-3 run would bring the Aztecs to within one point at 13-12, forcing a New Mexico timeout.
San Diego State would remain within three points until the Lobos scored four straight late, creating a 24-18 advantage they would ride to a 25-20 set win.
Carrasco led the way with four kills in the error-filled set, as both teams hit under .135. New Mexico finished with a .132 rate (11-6-38) and five blocks, while SDSU hit .067 (13-10-45).
San Diego State took an 8-4 lead early to open the second set, but the Lobos came back to score three straight to make it 8-7. The Aztecs then reeled off a 6-1 run mid-set to go up 17-11, but New Mexico kept it close, answering multiple SDSU points with two points.
UNM would eventually knot the set up at 22-all and again at 23-all, but San Diego State finished with the final two points of the set to win 25-23.
The Lobos again levied five blocks in the second frame, but UNM hit just .105.
Coming out of intermission, SDSU jumped out to a 12-4 lead, expanding it to 16-7. Three late points would bring the Lobos to within seven points at 23-16, but the Aztecs would win 25-16.
Seven players finished with a kill in the set, including two from Rubino — her first since September 8 as she played limited front-row action in her return from an injured foot — and one from Nicolette Clark.
Looking to stave off elimination, the Lobos battled in the fourth set, forging seven ties and 18 lead changes. Neither team enjoyed much of a lead for much of the set, with the largest advantage for either side coming in at 17-14 in favor of SDSU.
But, even then, the Lobos answered that lead with their own at 19-18, and had set point at 25-24 after scoring back-to-back points in the waning moments. However, the Aztecs finished the set off with three final points, winning 27-25.
Carrasco notched five errorless kills in the set, powering UNM to a .268 attack percentage.
New Mexico returns to action on Saturday vs. Fresno State in the team’s annual “Lobos Love Pink” match. The Lobos will hold a silent auction and raffle benefiting the UNM Cancer Center. Fans are encouraged to participate by wearing pink to the match.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!