ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The University of New Mexico volleyball team heads on the road this week, starting with a trip to San Diego State for a Thursday night match. Both teams enter the match on a four-match winning streak, with three of SDSU’s wins coming in five sets.
UNM Notes | SDSU Notes | Live Stream | Live Stats
New Mexico Perfect for Second Straight Week
New Mexico volleyball went 2-0 in back-to-back weeks to move to 5-1 in the Mountain West Conference, defeating Nevada (25-14, 13-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-4) and San José State (25-12, 25-19, 25-22) at home. With the wins, the Lobos moved into first in the Mountain West standings. The 5-1 start matches the best start to conference since the Lobos went 5-1 in 2013.
Going the Distance
Seven times this season, UNM has played five sets, recording a 5-2 record. UNM’s last two matches have been five sets, with the Lobos victorious in both.
In the win versus the Wolf Pack, the Lobos easily took the first set after hitting .500 as a team before the roles reversed and they dropped the second set. The third set went to New Mexico in a frame that although there were ties, the Lobos never trailed. Nevada used a late run to force a fifth set, where New Mexico scored the first five points en route to a dominating 15-4 set win. In their match at Air Force, the Lobos were unable to capture the fourth set but catapulted out to 10-2 lead in the fifth behind a 9-0 run. The Falcons made a late push to cut the margin to three at 14-11, but Tai Bierria notched the final point on a kill to seal the set and the match.
In the last non-conference match against CMU, and for the fifth time this season, UNM went the distance in a five-set victory. After the Chippewas rallied to force a fifth set, the Lobos scored the first three points of the set, closed the match on a 7-0 run, including four blocks in-a-row, en route to the 15-7 set win.
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.
The Closer
Junior outside hitter Tai Bierria has scored the final point in six matches this season, five of which tallied the winning point. In MW play, Bierria recorded the final kill against Nevada, Air Force, UNLV and Utah State to clinch the victory, and recorded the final point scored by the Lobos against Boise State. She also had the winning point versus USC Upstate in non-conference play.
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 404 assists, averaging 5.53 per set, and Inclan is behind her with 313 assists (4.47 a/s). Combined, the duo has 717 of the team’s 815 assists. Bianco has started 17 matches, registering double-digit assists in all 18 matches this season, with a season-high 42 against UNF. Inclan recorded a season-high 32 in the match at Air Force, and averaged 5.25 assists per set on the week against Nevada and SJSU with 42 total assists. Inclan also made her first start of the season against the Spartans.
Serves You Right
Sabrina Bianco (14) and Lauren Twitty (14) are tied for the team high in service aces. Jaclyn Inclan (12) and Morgan Schreckler (11) round out the Lobos with double-digit service aces.
Joining the Rankings
Lauren Twitty is fifth in the Mountain West with 3.50 k/s, totaling 252 kills in 72 sets, the fourth-most kills in the conference, as well as sixth in points per set at 4.06 (292 points) but is tied for the third-most points. Mercedes Pacheco is sixth in digs per set with 3.55. Victoria Spragg ranks 10th in hitting percentage at .312.
In just conference matches, Spragg leads the MW in hitting percentage at .407 and is tied for fifth in blocks per set (1.21). Twitty is third in kills per set (3.83) and Tai Bierria is eighth (3.04). Pacheco is fifth in digs per set with 3.83 and Twitty is third in points per set (4.38).
Nationally, Twitty is ranked in attacks per set (9.75), points (292), points per set (4.06), total kills (252), kills per set (3.50) and total attacks (702). Spragg is ranked in total blocks (79) and blocks per set (1.08).
I’ll Have the Double-Double, Please
The double-doubles keep coming for the Lobos, as UNM has 22 on the season. Lauren Twitty added two more last week for a team-high eight on the season, with Twitty recording three double-doubles at the UNF Invitational. Tai Bierria has six for the second-most on the team.
In the match at Air Force, UNM had three players with double-doubles with Victoria Spragg (11 kills, 12 blocks), Jaclyn Inclan (32 assists, 14 digs) and Mercedes Pacheco (10 assists, 21 digs). It was the first double-double of the season for Spragg and Inclan and the first of Spragg’s career.
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, 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
Lauren Twitty is pacing the Lobos in digs with 182 digs through 72 sets, an average of 2.53 digs per set. Mercedes Pacheco is second on the team with 174 digs at 3.55 digs per set, followed by Tai Bierria, who has 145 digs (2.04 d/s). Pacheco had a career-high 21 digs at Air Force.
Road Block
Victoria Spragg leads the team with 79 total blocks (12 solo and 67 assisted), with an average of 1.08 blocks per set. Six of her solo blocks have come in the last four matches. In the matches against UNLV and against Nevada, she had two solo blocks and three assisted blocks. Mariessa Carrasco is second on the team with 63 total blocks, five solo and 58 assisted. Lauren Twitty is second on the team in solo blocks with eight.
Scouting the Opposition
About San Diego State
The Aztecs (5-14, 3-3 MW) have won their last four matches and are 3-7 at home, 1-5 in three-set matches, 0-5 in four sets and 4-4 in five sets.
Deja Harris leads the team in kills with 242 (3.10 k/s) and total blocks (101, 1.29 b/s) with 14 solo and 87 assisted, and is second on the team in service aces (18). The senior middle blocker has tallied 317.5 points, averaging 4.07 points per set and is hitting .350 on the season. Delaney Taylor has 562 of the team’s 913 assists, averaging 8.65 a/s. Ashlynn Dunbar has a team-high 37 service aces and is second on the team in digs with 176 (2.44 d/s). Sam McGrath leads San Diego State with 191 digs, an average of 2.65 digs per set.
Harris is second in the MW in hitting percentage, third in blocks per set, seventh in points per set and tied for ninth in kills per set. Taylor is sixth in assists per set and Dunbar is third in service aces per set (.51) with the second-most aces in the conference.
Series vs. San Diego State
This will be the 60th meeting between the two teams, with SDSU holding a 38-21 edge. In San Diego, the Lobos are 7-21 against the Aztecs. San Diego State has won the last two meetings, both 3-1 victories occurring in 2017. UNM is 9-15 in three sets, 9-11 in four sets and 3-11 in five sets. UNM is 3-7 in the last 10 meetings and 1-4 in the last five.
News and Notes
The match versus Wyoming on Oct. 20 has been announced as a noon start time.
Single-game tickets can be purchased at Johnson Center prior to the match, or fans can purchase a New Mexico Mutual Lobo Pride Pass, which grants owners access to all home games for all Olympic sports during the 2018-19 academic year. The New Mexico Mutual Lobo Pride Pass will give one person admission to all Lobo volleyball regular season matches. For more information on the New Mexico Mutual Lobo Pride Pass please contact the Lobo Ticket Office in Dreamstyle Arena at (505) 925-LOBO.
Coach Nelson’s Press Conference