SAN DIEGO — The University of New Mexico volleyball team received double-digit kills from Hailey Rubino and Lauren Twitty and strong performances from Ashley Kelsey and Mariessa Carrasco, but it wasn’t enough in a 3-1 setback to San Diego State on Saturday.
Despite winning the first set and claiming a late lead in the second set, the Lobos (14-15 overall, 6-10 Mountain West) couldn’t pull away from the Aztecs (16-13, 10-6) in the match, eventually falling by set scores of 20-25, 26-24, 25-13, 25-12.
Continuing a hectic season-closing stretch of five matches in seven days, the Lobos had their chances in the second of their final five matches. But San Diego State, entering the day winners of six straight home contests, proved to be a tough test for UNM.
Rubino led New Mexico with 13 kills on a team-high 34 attempts, while Twitty chipped in 10 kills on 32 swings. Carrasco added nine kills on a .400 hitting percentage.
Sarah Lobo dished out 41 assists to pace the Lobos inside Peterson Gym, as the team finished with 48 kills.
Defensively, Kelsey collected a team-high 18 digs, while adding a service ace and three assists. Twitty (nine digs) and Rubino (six) also contributed to UNM’s back-row defense, which totalled 45 digs.
At the net, Rubino and Twitty both had a solo block, while Carrasco finished with a team-best four total blocks.
New Mexico opened the match scoring four of the first five points of set one, but neither team gained much separation early. UNM would hold a three-point lead at 14-11, only to have SDSU move ahead 17-16.
Undaunted, the Lobos closed the set on a 9-3 run, including the final four points, to win the opening set 25-20.
Rubino had six of her 13 kills in the opening set, with Twitty and Carrasco posting three each. New Mexico hit .483 in the set with 16 kills and just two errors.
The second set started in the Lobos’ favor, with UNM taking a 10-4 lead early. SDSU would pull to within two at 11-9, but New Mexico pulled back ahead by seven points at 19-12, maintaining that lead to 23-16.
But San Diego State closed with a flurry of points, finishing the set on a 10-1 run to win 26-24.
Rubino had another six kills and Twitty chipped in four of her own as UNM hit .220 in the set.
The Aztecs continued to score coming out of intermission, going up 15-4 to start set three. The Lobos would get to within nine points a couple of times, but they scored more than two consecutive points just once, that coming at the end of the set. SDSU won the set 25-13.
The fourth set started similarly, but New Mexico managed to make it a one-point affair at 5-4. But San Diego State built a 10-point lead at 17-7, riding that to a 25-12 win.
The Lobos return to action on Sunday, hosting UTEP at 5 p.m. MT in Johnson Center in Albuquerque. New Mexico then plays UNLV for Senior Night on Monday before traveling to Air Force for its season finale on Wednesday.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboVB on Twitter and Instagram for information and updates on the team!