ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Under the guidance of new head volleyball coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, The University of New Mexico will have a new look as the Lobos take the court for the 2019 season starting Friday, Aug. 30.
Besides a brand new coaching staff, the Lobos will also have seven newcomers on the roster, only one of which has had collegiate volleyball experience in graduate transfer Maddie Freiwald.
The Lobos return just two starters from a year ago in senior outside hitters Lauren Twitty and Tai Bierria, but fortunately the duo also made up the top-two offensive producers in 2018.
Twitty tallied a team-high 407 kills in her junior campaign, averaging 3.36 kills per set with Bierria totaling 359 kills (2.99 kills per set) in her first year in Albuquerque. Twitty, a Virginia native, finished the season with 469.5 points, while Bierria accounted for 377 points. In addition, Twitty led the Lobos with 23 service aces, while defensively was second on the team in digs at 291 and third in total blocks with 68 total blocks (11 solo) and started in every match and played in all but one set.
In her three seasons to date, Twitty has accumulated 1044.5 points on 910 kills, 147 total blocks and 50 service aces while adding 636 digs and 41 assists.
The Lobos’ greatest depth is at the outside hitter position with eight listed on the roster, three of which are freshmen and four are upperclassmen.
Junior Nicolette Clark finished the season with 55 kills, ending the season with a career-high seven kills in the season finale at Colorado State.
Generating the offense will come down to two setters, returner Jaclyn Inclan and newcomer Freiwald. Of the two, Freiwald enters with the most experience after playing the last three years at Butler University, playing in 128 sets throughout 61 matches. During her time in Indianapolis, Freiwald registered 582 assists, with a career-best 332 (8.51 assists per set) in 2018, as well as 108 digs, 55 total blocks, 46 kills and 10 service aces. However Inclan, a redshirt-sophomore, enters 2019 after a successful initial season at UNM, accumulating 520 assists, 18 kills, 16 service aces, 150 digs and 14 total blocks while playing in 119 sets in 30 matches, starting in six. Inclan registered double-digit assists in all but one match, with a season-high 32 assists at Air Force, and posted three double-doubles.
The defensive side is where the Lobos will be the greenest.
UNM will need one of the six middle blockers listed on the roster to fill the void left by the graduation of Victoria Spragg and Mariessa Carrasco, the top two blockers from 2018. The two of them accounted for 248 of UNM’s 274 total blocks and had a combined 37 solo blocks. Junior Yasmin Tan is the veteran in the position group, stepping in late in the season and producing a season-high seven total blocks against Air Force.
Freshman Yamelis Mojica provides some versatility and height at the position, able to play either at the outside hitter or middle blocker positions, and joins fellow freshman Fanny Skogsfors (an outside hitter) as the tallest player on the team at 6-2.
Two freshmen will be asked to step in to the libero position after 2018 senior captain Mercedes Pacheco graduated. Redshirt-sophomore Morgan Schreckler, who can play either at the libero or outside hitter position, saw time at the position last season, but the addition of Alena Moldan and Chloe Clark will create some more stability and options for UNM.
Providing the leadership role on the team will be junior Danica Rowan and Twitty, who were tasked to lead the Lobos as the 2019 team captains as decided on by their teammates and the coaching staff.
The Lobos open the season with four straight weekends on the road in non-conference tournaments before hosting Wyoming for their first home match of the season on Saturday, Sept. 28. UNM will have just nine home matches with two separate three-match homestands and a final home match on Tuesday, Nov. 19 against UNLV.
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.