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UNM Drops Three-Set Match to Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif.— The University of New Mexico volleyball team held leads in each of the three sets on Thursday evening at the Save Mart Center against Fresno State, however, the Lobos were unable to stave off the rallies of the Bulldogs as Fresno State won in three sets, 25-14, 25-22 and 25-21.

Tai Bierria led the Lobos with 10 kills in the match with Jaclyn Inclan credited with 17 assists. Alena Moldan recorded a team-high two service aces as well as a team-high nine digs, while Danica Rowan tallied a total of five blocks (one solo) on the night.

Rachel Murphy opened up the match with a kill as the Lobos got out in front 7-2 behind a 5-0 run with two kills from Kaitlynn Biassou, a Moldan ace and blocks from Yasmin Tan and Lauren Twitty and Tan and Biassou. The Bulldogs used a run of their own to tie the set at nine and took a 12-9 lead, which they continued to build on for a 25-14 set win. Biassou led the Lobos with three kills in the set with Inclan assisting on three points.

Fresno State scored the first three points of the second set before Murphy put UNM on the board with her second kill of the match. Consecutive Twitty kills later tied the set at four and gave UNM a 5-4 lead. Twitty’s third kill of the set tied the set at six and a Maddie Freiwald ace regained the lead for the Lobos. The Lobos pushed out in front by three at 14-11 and later by five at 18-13 on back-to-back blocks, including a solo block by Rowan. The Bulldogs closed the margin to one at 19-18, at which point UNM called a timeout in an attempt to stop the momentum shift. Out of a Lobo timeout, a Murphy kill and a Bierria kill created some separation at 21-18, however, the Bulldogs got the points right back to tie the set at 21. Bierria gave the Lobos back the lead on a kill on the following point but the Bulldogs scored the next four points to win the set 25-22.

Twitty, Murphy and Bierria each tallied three kills in the set as the Lobos hit a match-high .296 in the second frame. 

In the third set, there were ties early through the first six points before the Lobos scored three of the next four points to take a 6-4 lead, capped by a Rowan kill. The Bulldogs tied the set at six before back-to-back Bierria kills regained the two-point Lobo lead and a Rowan and Murphy block put UNM ahead 9-6, forcing a Bulldog timeout. The Lobos would stretch the lead to 12-7 on Bierria’s ninth kill of the match and a Twitty kill further extended the UNM advantage to six, 16-10. Fresno State chipped away to close within two at 20-18 before a Murphy kill, her sixth of the night, pushed the lead back up. However, much like in the second set, the Bulldogs answered back to tie the set at 21. After a Lobo timeout, Fresno State took a 22-21 and would score the next three points to win the set 25-21 and take the match, ultimately finishing on a 7-0 run.  

Bierria closed the match with six kills and five digs and Rowan and Murphy combined for two blocks in the set. 

The Lobos (5-10, 0-3 MW) close out the week with a match at San Diego State on Saturday at 3 p.m. MT.