Lobos Defeat Spartans in Four for Third Win in Four Matches
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M— All season long, University of New Mexico head volleyball coach Jon Newman-Gonchar has stated that the Lobos are chasing their best volleyball. As the season nears the end of Mountain West play, the Lobos are hitting their stride and may be reaching that point following Thursday night’s four-set victory over San José State, UNM’s third win in four matches.
The Lobos made a statement for the first two sets, never trailing in 25-22 and 25-14 set wins, respectively. The Spartans extended the match following a close third set with a 25-22 set score but the Lobos responded with a 25-23 fourth set to win the match.
Setter Jaclyn Inclan recorded her 11th double-double of the season with a match-high 26 assists to go along with 13 digs, and outside hitters Kaitlynn Biassou and Lauren Twitty led the offense with 13 kills each. This season, Inclan has posted double figures in all but three matches including the last 13, and Biassou extended her double-digit kill streak to five matches.
Freshman libero Alena Moldan led with 17 digs and registered the two Lobo service aces on the night with the 17 digs being the most that Moldan has finished with since recording 20 at Nevada on Oct. 17.
At the net, Yasmin Tan tallied seven block assists to go along with seven kills, and Biassou finished with five block assists. As a team, the Lobos finished with 10.5 total blocks, the fourth consecutive match that UNM posted double digits in the category.
There were three ties but no lead changes as the Lobos took the first set. Lobos took three of the first four points to open the match behind a Spartan attack error, and kills by Twitty and Rachel Murphy, and after the Spartans closed within one at 6-5, UNM used a 3-0 run to stretch the lead to four at 9-5. Another run, this time a 4-0 variety, pushed UNM in front by five at 16-11, bookended by Biassou kills. The Spartans climbed back in to the set to tie the set at 19 but a Bierria cross court kill regained the Lobo lead, which expanded to two on a Spartan attack error. Following a Spartan timeout, SJSU tied the set at 21 to which Biassou tallied another kill for the final UNM lead. The Lobos would reach set point at 24-21 on a Twitty kill and SJSU attack error, and Biassou would put the set away with her sixth kill of the set to give UNM the 25-22 set win.
Biassou hit .667 in the frame with six kills on nine attacks, accounting for almost half of the team’s 13 total kills in the set.
The Lobos again led from end-to-end in the second set as UNM scored the first three points of the set on a Tan and Biassou block and kills by Bierria and Biassou. The Lobos would lead 6-4 through the first 10 points of the set, which extended to five at 10-5 on a 4-0 UNM run and by six at 16-10 and again at 20-14 on a Twitty kill. UNM would close from there on a 5-0 run with a Twitty kill, back-to-back Biassou kills and a Spartan attack error that pushed UNM to set point. The run would continue as Moldan closed the set with an ace for the 25-14 set win. At no point in time throughout the set did San José State get closer than two points, with the last instance at 7-5.
Twitty hit .571 in the second set with four kills on seven attacks and no errors and Biassou and Tan combined for two blocks to lead the Lobos in each category. UNM hit a match-high .423 in the game with 12 kills and just one error on 26 assists.
The third set was competitive with nine ties and two lead changes as SJSU took pulled out the set win, 25-22. Moldan’s second service ace of the match gave the Lobos an early 5-2 lead to cap a 3-0 Lobo run following the second tie of the set. However, SJSU went on a run of its own to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead that would expand to 9-6. The Lobos pulled within one 9-8 and after trailing 12-9 again at 12-11 before the Lobos would tie the set on a Tan and Biassou block. SJSU went back up by three at 16-13 to which UNM would follow suit and tie it back up on a Murphy kill. Twitty’s ninth and 10th kills of the match tied the set at 17 and 18, respectively, and there would be another tie at 19 following a Spartan service error as the teams continued to trade points. The Spartans scored the next two points to pull ahead 21-19, but two SJSU attack errors pulled UNM even for the final tie of the set. A Spartan kill broke the deadlock and SJSU would take the next two points to reach set point at 24-21. A Tan kill fought it off but SJSU took the next point to extend the match.
Murphy and Twitty each registered three kills in the set with the Lobos recording a match-low 11 kills and once again Biassou and Tan would team up for two blocks.
The final set was the closest and most competitive set with eight ties and four lead changes with the Lobos capturing the set and the match with a 25-23 victory. UNM trailed by four points late in the set at 19-15 but would finish on a 10-4 run. San José State took an early two-point lead in the set but a Biassou kill closed the deficit to one at 5-4, her third in the set, and an Inclan kill pulled the Lobos even. The Spartans would score the next two points to create some separation, but a block by Murphy and Twitty and a SJSU attack error made it seven-all. UNM would take the next two points to continue the 4-0 run, but the Spartans responded to eventually tie the set at 11. A Tan kill created a tie at 13 and a Twitty kill tied the set again at 14-all but SJSU led 15-14 at the media timeout and would go on to take its largest lead at 19-15 lead. A Bierria kill cut the margin in half and an attack error by SJSU made it a one-point set. The Spartans would end the run temporarily on the following point but the Lobos would get it back on an attack error by SJSU. A triple block by Tan, Biassou and Twitty created the final tie of the set at 20 and an error by the Spartans put the Lobos ahead at 21-20 for the final lead change. Down the stretch, Bierria tallied two kills with her final kill putting UNM ahead by two at 23-21, and a Twitty and Tan block gave the Lobos match point at 24-21. SJSU fought off match point twice to bring the set back to a one-point game but Twitty finished off the match with a kill.
Bierria totaled five kills in the final set, hitting .417 with 12 swings and zero errors, as Biassou, Tan and Twitty each contributed three. The Lobos picked up 5.5 total team blocks in the fourth with three coming from Murphy, accounting for more than half of the total blocks that the Lobos recorded in the match.
With the win, the Lobos improved to 9-18 on the season and 4-11 in MW play while SJSU dropped to 10-16 and 5-10 in MW play.
The Lobos remain at home for their next match, set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. against Nevada.