|
||||||||||||||||
New Mexico vs. Utah State
New Mexico vs. Boise StateWith the end of the season on the horizon, the Lobos are looking to finish strongly. The only obstacle in their way: nine matches over the next three weeks.
“This is a crazy two and half weeks,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We have nine games in about 16 days.”
The University of New Mexico volleyball team heads back on the road this week as it travels to Utah State and Boise State for a pair of Mountain West contests. First serve against USU is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, with the BSU match slated for noon on Saturday.
After posting some strong volleyball last week in a pair of losses to league-leading Colorado State and Wyoming, the Lobos (11-12 overall, 3-7 MW) are looking to translate their play into wins as they face the Aggies (12-10, 4-6) and Broncos (12-10, 5-5).
This week, as the Lobos venture out of the state of New Mexico for the first time in two weeks, they’ll be aiming to regroup as a team.
Fresh off a stretch of five matches in days, New Mexico has been tested as of late, but showed well late last week.
“I thought we were a little bit tired,” Nelson said, “but I thought we played pretty well last week, actually.”
The Lobos battled against Wyoming, which ranks second in the Mountain West, and No. 20 Colorado State, which hasn’t lost in league play. UNM almost came close to the upset of the Rams, but fell in five sets.
With some promising play under their belts, the Lobos must now play complete matches. Boise State and Utah State are both just 1 ½ games ahead of UNM in overall record, with both teams in striking distance of New Mexico in the conference standings.
 |
|
| Lauren Twitty |
“After CSU in first place, [the MW standings are] just kind of the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in the 11 years I’ve been here,” Nelson said.
To catch this week’s opponents, the Lobos will need to continue their strong offensive play.
In both of their conference matches last week, the Lobos notched 56 kills behind sophomore outside hitter Lauren Twitty and freshman setter Sarah Lobo.
“We put in a new setter Sarah Lobo and she played very well,” Nelson said. “I was very pleased with what she did. I thought we played better. We were a better team. I thought she brought some nice things to the court.”
Both had double-doubles vs. CSU, spurring UNM to strong numbers on the attack.
Twitty logged back-to-back matches with 19 kills and has posted a career-best five matches with double-digit kills.
“Lauren Twitty really picked up her game again,” Nelson said. “She had been struggling and she’s really our go-to. She had a couple of tough weeks and really put up a big weekend for us again.”
Redshirt senior libero Ashley Kelsey is also key as she continues her ascent of the record books. Just 24 digs from taking sole possession of fourth all-time in career digs, Kelsey averaged nearly five digs per set last week.
The Lobos have also seen strong play from its tandem of middle blockers, Mariessa Carrasco and Victoria Spragg, while Yasmin Tan and Carly Beddingfield have also contributed solid results.
On the other side of the net, New Mexico will have to contend with teams also looking for wins.
After a 11-4 start to the season, Utah State has cooled off as it’s faced off against a tough Mountain West. The Lobos were actually the team to disrupt the Aggies’ strong start, which included five-straight wins and a 3-0 start in league play.
Including that match vs. UNM on September 30, USU has gone 1-6, with three consecutive 3-1 losses heading into this week.
Boise State has also struggled recently, dropping five in a row before staunching the bleeding with a 3-1 win at Fresno State its last time out. After an 11-5 start to the season, the Broncos played Colorado State to five sets, eventually losing and sparking their five-game slide.
However, BSU, which was picked to finish second in the Mountain West after winning the 2016 conference title, has played a tough schedule, going five sets with then-No. 1 Minnesota and beating Missouri.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!