ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Ashley Kelsey and Hailey Rubino set new career highs in digs and kills, respectively, and Rubino and Sarah Lobo both had double-doubles, but it wasn’t enough as the University of New Mexico volleyball team dropped a four-set match to Nevada on Saturday.
Despite some significant statistical performances across the board, the Lobos (14-13 overall, 6-8 Mountain West) saw their three-game win streak snapped as they fell 25-19, 18-25, 31-29, 25-20 to the Wolf Pack (9-17, 7-7) inside Johnson Center.
Playing through a stretch of seven matches over the final 15 days of the season, New Mexico had its opportunities against Nevada, but couldn’t convert late in sets.
Nonetheless, Kelsey and Rubino both posted solid performances Saturday afternoon, with Kelsey collecting a match-high 31 digs and Rubino registering 18 kills.
For Kelsey, her 31 digs rank as the eighth-most in a single match in program history and fifth-most during the 25-point, rally scoring era (2008-present).
She is the first Lobo with at least 30 digs in a match since Julia Warren had 32 in 2014, and the second player in program history with at least 30 in a four-set match, joining Allison Buck, who had 36 in a 3-1 win over Delaware in 2011.
Rubino finished with a career-best 18 kills, adding 11 digs for her second double-double of her career. She finished with a .238 hitting percentage, tops on the team.
Rubino’s 18 kills are the most by a UNM freshman since Cassie House had 18 in 2014.
Elsewhere, Lauren Twitty finished with a team-best 19 kills, adding six digs and the team’s two block solos. Victoria Spragg chipped in 11 kills and a career-best five digs.
Lobo continued to log solid setting numbers, with 46 assists to go with a career-high 16 digs for her third career double-double. Kelsey chipped in eight assists to tie a three-year-old career best.
As a team, New Mexico outperformed Nevada in a handful of statistical metrics, with more kills (59-57), assists (57-54) and digs (80-68).
Nevada opened the match strongly, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. New Mexico would cut the lead to two points at 10-8, but the Wolf Pack scored four in a row to move ahead 14-8. Eventually, ahead 18-11, Nevada managed to withstand a 5-0 UNM run, finishing the set with a 6-2 run to win 25-19.
New Mexico came back with some fire in set two, moving ahead 7-3 early. The Lobos would build leads at 15-10 and 18-14, allowing Nevada to get no closer than three the rest of the way. UNM, which never relinquished its lead, scored the final four points of the set to win 25-18.
Twitty had six of her kills in the set, with Rubino, Spragg and Mariessa Carrasco scoring three each. UNM hit .394 in the set, with 17 kills and just four errors on 33 attacks.
However, unlike the second set where New Mexico took control and never looked back, the third set was a back-and-forth battle the entire way. Neither team would gain any traction early, with Nevada taking its largest lead of the set at 19-16.
But UNM notched a 7-1 run to go up 23-20, earning a set-point chance at 24-21. Then both teams went back to trading points, with Nevada knotting the set at 24. The Lobos would get four more set-point opportunities, but the Wolf Pack scored the final three points of the set for a 31-29 victory.
The third set featured 23 ties and 12 lead changes, with the 31-29 score ending up as the fourth highest-scoring 25-point set in program history.
New Mexico looked primed to send the match to five sets after taking early leads at 5-2 and 8-5, but Nevada evened the score at 10-all before using a 5-0 run to go up 20-15. UNM would get no closer than three points the rest of the way, falling 25-20.
The Lobos return to action next Thursday as they travel to Fresno State for an 8 p.m. MT match. That contest kicks off a run of final matches over the final seven days of the season.
NOTES: The Lobos’ 80 digs are their most since a five-set match vs. Portland in September and the team’s most in a four-set match since posting 82 vs. UNLV in 2015 … Kelsey’s 31 digs are the most by a Mountain West player this season
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