Lobos Lose to UNLV in Four Sets

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – After dropping the first set 25-12 to UNLV on Tuesday night at the Cox Pavilion, The University of New Mexico volleyball team evened the match at a set apiece with a 25-19 second set win, but it was the Rebels who took the next two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-19 to win the Mountain West contest.

Jaclyn Inclan recorded her third straight double-double, her fourth in five matches and a team-high ninth of the season, with a team-high 15 assists and 10 digs while also adding two kills, and Lauren Twitty led the Lobo offense with 10 kills. Alena Moldan finished with a team-high 15 digs with Tai Bierria notching 12 to go along with eight kills.

Abbey Willison continued to have success from the service line and at the net, recording a team-high two service aces and accounted for a solo and two assisted blocks for the team high as well.

UNLV scored the first two points of the match before a service error put the Lobos on the board and tied the set at two on an attack error. After a tie at three, the Lobos took their only lead of the set at 4-3 on a Twitty kill, but the Rebels responded with a 6-1 run to take a 9-5 lead. UNM closed within three at 10-7 on a Yasmin Tan kill, but it was the closest the Lobos would get as UNLV got the points right back and further extended its lead, ultimately closing the set with the final five points for the 25-12 win. The Lobos were aided by six service errors by UNLV, but the Rebels also had five aces in the set. UNM had just five kills in the set with two from Kaitlynn Biassou and one each from Twitty, Rachel Murphy and Yasmin Tan.

There were four ties in the set, the latest at 14-all, but the Lobos never trailed as they won the second set 25-19. A solo block by Willison opened up the second set and UNM would get out to a 5-2 lead, to which UNLV would pull within one and later tie the set at six. A Tan kill would regain the lead for UNM and after a tie at seven, the Cherry and Silver would score the next three points to go up 10-7 with consecutive Bierria kills and a Biassou kill. The Rebels would hang close, pulling within one at 10-9 and at 11-10 to which the Lobos would respond to regain a three-point cushion with kills by Inclan and Biassou. The Rebels would answer to tie the set at 14 to which Tan would register her third kill of the match to give UNM the lead again, this time for good. A Tan and Murphy block would extend the lead to two at 17-15 and again at 18-16 before a Bierria kill would push the lead back to three at 19-16. Out of a UNLV timeout, the Rebels would again cut it to one at 19-18 but a service error kept the home team from getting the tying point. An attack error by UNLV would push UNM’s lead back to three at 21-18 and from there the Lobos would close on a 3-1 run behind consecutive Willison aces to give UNM set point and a Twitty kill kept the run going and put the set away at 25-19. UNM hit .357 in the second frame while limiting UNLV to its lowest hitting percentage of the match at .179.

 A Rebel attack error opened up the third set, but UNLV would score the next five points before a Bierria kill ended the run. A Biassou kill cut the deficit in half at 6-3 and UNM got within two at 7-5 on a Bierria kill, her fifth of the match. A Murphy kill and Moldan ace brought UNM within one at 9-8, the closest UNM would get from that point on as UNLV went on to score the next seven points to push its lead to eight. A Tan kill ended the run and the Lobos got as close as six at 17-11 on a Bierria ace but the Rebels would take a 25-16 set win.

UNM hit .310 in the set with 12 kills, but UNLV hit .515 on 18 kills.

The fourth set was the closest of the night with eight ties and three lead changes, with Twitty opening the set on a kill. However, UNLV would take a lead with the next two points. Twitty’s 10th kill of the set tied the set at two and there would be three more ties through the next six points before UNLV would pull ahead by two at 7-5. A successful UNM challenge by Jon Newman-Gonchar pulled the Lobos within one and an attack error tied the set at seven-all. An exchange of service errors tied the set for the final time at nine but the Rebels regained the lead with the next three points which would grow to five at 15-10. A Murphy kill and Twitty ace would pull the Lobos to the closest they would get at four at 17-13 but the Rebels would get the points back plus some to go up by eight at 23-15. UNM would close within five following three straight points from  from a Biassou kill, a Biassou and Willison block and Twitty and Willison block and would fight off match point with a Rebel service error, but a Rebel kill gave UNLV the 25-19 set win for the match.

With the loss, the Lobos drop to 6-15 (1-8 MW) and snapped the three-match win streak against the Rebels.

UNM returns home for its next three matches, starting with Air Force on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.