ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Junior Danica Rowan and senior Lauren Twitty have been selected as captains for the 2019 University of New Mexico volleyball team as announced on Friday.
The duo was chosen through a combination of the team and staff considerations and were players that embodied the traits of being a great leader: caring, courageous and consistent.
“Lauren and Danica are great examples of what we were looking for when we discussed what great leaders do and how they influence the overall team,” UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar said.
Rowan, a native of Thatcher, Ariz., is an outside hitter who has appeared in 61 sets throughout 31 matches during her career. She made her first career start last year against Wyoming. Over that time, the new captain has recorded 30 kills and 20 total blocks, all assisted, and 18 of which came a season ago. Rowan accounted for 40.0 points, 30 of which came last season. Twice last season Rowan tallied four kills in a match for a career high, both of which occurred against Colorado State, and had a career-high six blocks, all assisted, at Nevada.
“Being named captain is such an honor,” Rowan stated. “I am on a team filled with so many amazing women and athletes, so for them to choose me as their captain is so humbling and I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity.
“As a captain, I want to be a leader for my team,” Rowan continued. “I want to be a great example and be encouraging and uplifting for all of my teammates. I want to be a person that my teammates can come to for help and support … I want to help my team improve and be successful.”
As one of the two returning starters from a year ago, Twitty was recently named to the Preseason All-MW Team and was selected the last two seasons as MW All-Conference.
“I feel that being a captain on this team is an honor but also a big responsibility as there are so many talented girls with so much ambition,” Twitty said. “With that said, being seen as a leader by them means a lot to me. I have learned so much at my time here at UNM and I feel lucky to be able to share my experiences with such amazing freshmen and returners that have a really bright future in this program.
“As long as I can lead by example and help make the transition into college a little bit easier, I feel that my role will be fulfilled. I think that Jon (Newman-Gonchar) is leading this group down a great path and I can’t wait to be a part of it as someone who can help implement Lobo volleyball culture and tradition as well.”
The outside hitter has been a vital piece of the Lobo offense the last two seasons, leading the team in kills and points both years.
Her junior year, Twitty recorded 407 kills and was sixth in the league in kills per set with 3.36 and finished seventh in points in the conference with 469.5, an average of 3.88 points per set. She was second on the team in digs with 291, an average of 2.40 digs per set and had 68 total blocks, 11 solo.
Twitty started in every match and played in all but one set, recording double-digit kills in 21 matches, including four matches with 20-plus kills, and double-doubles in 13. She led the Lobos in service aces with 23 and finished with 68 total blocks (11 solo). In addition, Twitty tied a career-high three assists as well as five total blocks against Air Force last season.
In addition, the senior is on the precipice of reaching 1,000 career kills, sitting just 90 away and is expected achieve her 100th-career match played during the season as she is 14 matches away. In her career, Twitty has amassed 1044.5 points, 910 kills, 147 total blocks, 636 digs and 50 service aces, playing in 286 sets and 86 matches.
UNM starts the 2019 volleyball season with an exhibition against UTEP on Saturday, Aug. 24 with a 2:30 p.m. start time. The exhibition will be held at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit and admission is free. There will also be a clinic for the kids in attendance following the conclusion of the match with the team.
The regular season starts on Friday, Aug. 30 at the Northern Colorado Tournament in Greeley, Colo. with the first match of the season against Rutgers at 10:30 a.m. MT.
Fans can purchase Lobo Pride Passes for access to all home matches this season for $50 by clicking HERE. Other ways are directly through the Lobo Ticket Office in person or on the phone (925-LOBO). The Lobo Ticket Office is located in Dreamstyle Arena and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.