Lobos Close Out Non-Conference with Husker Invite
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- The University of New Mexico Lobos finish the non-conference portion of the schedule this Friday and Saturday with the Husker Invite in Lincoln, Neb. The Lobos will have two matches on Friday, with an early morning match-up against Missouri State, followed by a primetime meeting with the No. 4 team in the country, the defending champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. The match will be streamed on BTN+, which will require a subscription. The weekend wraps up with a Saturday morning match against Central Michigan.
UNM Notes | Missouri State Notes | Nebraska Notes | Live Stats
New Mexico Finished Runner-Up at UNF Invitational
New Mexico volleyball went 2-1 for the second-straight week, finishing second to Furman, who went undefeated on the weekend. The first two matches had an idenitcal pattern of the Lobos winning the first set, dropping the second and third sets, before forcing a fifth set with a late fourth-set win. In the win against USC Upstate, UNM won the first two sets in the four-set match.
Twitty, Spragg Named to All-Tournament Team
Outside hitter Lauren Twitty earned her second all-tournament selection after leading the team with 56 kills, 42 digs and 63.5 points, tallying a double-double in all three matches. The junior had a match-high 23 kills and a team-high 16 digs in the win against North Florida and a match-high 22 kills and 14 digs versus USC Upstate. Middle blocker Victoria Spragg earned her first all-tournament award after a team-high 14 blocks (one solo, 13 assisted), while hitting .370 with 23 kills. The redshirt-senior had 30.5 points on the weekend.
Going the Distance
In the three matches played at the Idaho Volleyball Classic on opening weekend and the three matches at the UNF Invitational, the Lobos played five sets in two of each tournament, going 2-2. UNM lost a late lead in the fifth set to fall to Grand Canyon University to open the tournament, but finished with a five-set victory against host Idaho. At UNF, New Mexico was down to match point at 24-23 in the fourth set, with Lauren Twitty registering a kill to extend the set. The Lobos would go on to win 26-24. In the fifth set, the Lobos trailed 13-10 before fighting back to win the set 16-14.
Setting the Tone
The Lobos have two new setters on the roster in freshman Sabrina Bianco and redshirt-freshman transfer Jaclyn Inclan. Bianco leads the team with 228 assists, averaging 6.16 per set, and Inclan is behind her with 135 assists (3.97 a/s). Combined, the duo has 363 of the team’s 415 assists. Bianco has started all nine matches, registering double-digit assists in all nine, with a season-high 42 against UNF. She had 102 assists over the weekend.
Serves You Right
Bianco (nine) and Inclan (eight) are first and second, respectively, on the team in service aces. Mariessa Carrasco has six on the season. As a team, prior to this past weekend, the Lobos had 19 service aces. After the UNF Invitational, UNM has 37, almost doubling its output.
Joining the Rankings
Lauren Twitty is seventh in the Mountain West with 3.53 k/s, totaling 127 kills in 36 sets, the fourth-most kills in the conference, as well as seventh in points per set at 4.07 (146.5 points/ 36 sets). Sabrina Bianco has tallied 228 assists in 37 sets (6.16 a/s), placing the setter ninth in the Mountain West in a/s, with the sixth-most number of assists.
Nationally, Twitty is ranked in attacks per set (9.89), kills per set (3.53), points (146.5), points per set (4.07), total attacks (356) and total kills (127). Spragg is ranked in total blocks (41) and blocks per set (1.11).
I’ll Have the Double-Double, Please
The double-doubles keep coming for the Lobos, as UNM has 14 on the season. Tai Bierria and Lauren Twitty each have five, with Twitty recording three double-doubles at the UNF Invitational.
Versus Furman, three New Mexico players had a double-double, but in all three UNF Invitational matches, at least two Lobos had a double-double.
Against Idaho, four Lobo players registered double-doubles. Sabrina Bianco had 30 assists and 12 digs, Jaclyn Inclan had 23 assists to go with 11 digs, in addition to Twitty’s 20 kills and 14 digs and Bierria’s 12 kills and 12 digs.
Just Dig It
Tai Bierria is pacing the Lobos in digs with 94 digs through 37 sets, an average of 2.54 digs per set. Twitty is second on the team with 92 digs at 2.56 digs per set, followed by Mercedes Pacheco who has 82 digs (3.28 d/s).
Homecoming
Fiona Harding will be in familiar territory when the Lobos travel to Lincoln. Harding, a redshirt-sophomore middle blocker, is from Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln East High School.