Lobos Drop Four-Set Decision to Aztecs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— University of New Mexico seniors Lauren Twitty and Tai Bierria tallied double-doubles on Thursday night against San Diego State, but the Aztecs emerged from Johnson Gym victorious in four sets on Thursday night by scores of 25-20, 15-25, 25-21, 25-14.
Bierria led the Lobos with 15 kills in the match, hitting .382, to go along with 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season and seventh 10-plus kills in the last 10 matches. Twitty also finished with 10 digs and added 12 kills for her ninth double-double of the season. In addition, it is the 15th time this season that the outside hitter has reached double-digit kills and the seventh time in the last eight matches.
Kaitlynn Biassou finished the night with 12 kills, giving UNM three in double figures in kills.
Setters Jaclyn Inclan and Maddie Freiwald were nearly identical in production when it came to assists with Inclan accounting for 22 assists and Freiwald 20. Together, they assisted on 42 of the team’s 45 total assists in the match.
However, of note was that Inclan, a redshirt-sophomore, recorded her 1000th-career assist in the second set of the match, finishing the match with 1009 in her career.
Defensively, Alena Moldan recorded a team-high 11 digs and Yasmin Tan led in total blocks with five, one solo and four assisted.
Six different Lobos recorded a service ace, including Twitty, Bierria, Moldan, Freiwald, Inclan and Abbey Willison.
The first set was the closest of the four with seven ties and three lead changes as the Aztecs took the set, 25-20. The teams traded points for the first eight points of the match, starting with an opening kill for Biassou. SDSU took a 6-4 lead to which the Lobos answered to tie at six. The Aztecs regained a two-point lead, but once again the Lobos responded to tie the set following a Bierria kill and Willison ace. However, the Aztecs pulled ahead at 16-9 after the Lobos tied the set at nine on a Rachel Murphy and Tan block. A Bierria kill ended the run but the Aztecs maintained a comfortable cushion, reaching as high as eight at 18-10. UNM closed within five several times, with the last at 23-18 on a Bierria kill, before the Aztecs reached set point at 24-18. The Lobos fought it off twice on a Biassou kill and an Aztec attack error before a service error by UNM ended the set.
Twitty and Bierria opened the match with four kills apiece, with Moldan and Willison recording the only service aces of the set between the two teams.
The second set showcased a different UNM team as the Lobos led from 2-1 on following an Inclan ace and another Bierria kill. SDSU closed within one early at 4-3, but the Lobos would go on a 3-0 run to create some separation, which would grow to seven at 14-7 with another run, this time 5-0. The margin grew to 10 at 21-11 on another 3-0 run with kills from Twitty and Bierria as well as an Aztec attack error. After leading 22-12, SDSU closed the gap on a 3-0 run, but consecutive Bierria kills and a Biassou and Murphy block allowed UNM to even the match at one set with the 25-15 set win.
UNM hit a match-high .481 in the set with Bierria accounting for half of the team’s 14 kills and added a service ace, one of three Lobos to notch an ace in the set. Tan tallied a solo and an assisted block in the set as the team held a 3.0-1.0 advantage in blocks in the frame.
The script flipped in the third set with San Diego State going ahead 2-1 after UNM opened the set with a Bierria kill, and would continue to lead en route to the 25-21 set win. While it was the closest set in final score, the Lobos never got within three after SDSU went on a 4-0 run to go from 5-4 to 9-4 and used another 4-0 run in the middle of the set to go ahead by six at 16-9. UNM closed within three at 18-15 on a Bierria kill but the Aztecs prevented UNM from getting any closer than three throughout the remainder of the set. SDSU reached set point at 24-19, but UNM fought it off on a Biassou kill and got back within three at 24-21 on an attack error, but the Aztecs would take the next point to win the set 25-21.
The Lobos recorded a match-high 16 kills for the team in the set with Biassou and Twitty leading the way with four each, but the Aztecs outhit the Lobos .256 to .205, had the two-to-one edge in service aces and 3.0-0.0 edge in blocks.
UNM scored the opening point of the fourth set on a SDSU attack error before SDSU rattled off the next seven points to take a 7-1 lead. A Tan and Twitty block pulled the Lobos within three at 9-6, and the Lobos would again close the margin to three at 10-7 on a Twitty kill, although the Aztecs proceeded to then open the game with a 4-0 run with three straight kills coming from Victoria O’Sullivan. The deficit continued to expand for the Lobos, reaching as high as nine at 18-9. UNM twice got the margin within seven on a Biassou kill (18-11) and an Aztec attack error (19-12) before SDSU extended its lead to 10 at 22-12 on a 3-0 run. UNM fought off match point at 24-13 on a Danica Rowan kill but a final kill by O’Sullivan closed the set and the match in favor of the visitors.
Rowan would finish the set two-for-two in kills, one of three Lobos who would record two kills in the set, with Murphy and Twitty being the others. UNM had its lowest hitting percentage in the match in the fourth at .105 with just eight kills. The Lobos did however hold a slight advantage in blocks at 3.0-2.0, with Murphy recording a solo and Tan and Twitty combining for two assisted blocks.
The Lobos (6-17, 1-10 MW) remain at home for the week, hosting Fresno State on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. in Johnson Gym.