Lobos Fall to Rebels in Final Home Match
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Playing in the Johnson Center for the final time in the 2019 season, The University of New Mexico volleyball team got out to a hot start taking the first set, but the visiting UNLV Rebels cooled off the Lobos to take the next three sets for the four-match (12-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-21) decision.
On Senior Night, outside hitter Tai Bierria led the Lobos with 15 kills, while recording two assists, a service ace and two block assists and was one dig short of a double-double. Graduate student Maddie Freiwald recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 assists and 10 digs, while also leading with two of the team’s four service aces. Outside hitter Lauren Twitty finished with nine kills, one assist, six digs and three block assists in her final home match as a Lobo.
Setter Jaclyn Inclan accounted for 23 of UNM’s 43 assists, the 15th consecutive match that the redshirt-sophomore has reached double figures and the third-straight match that she has surpassed 20 assists.
Defensively, Alena Moldan tallied a match-high 18 digs in the match and Yasmin Tan posted two solo blocks and six assisted for the career high in solo blocks and tied her career high in total blocks, the fourth time this season that the junior middle blocker has finished with eight total blocks in a match.
For the sixth consecutive match, the Lobos recorded double digits in total blocks, finishing with 12.0, as well as out-blocked their opponent, this time 12.0-10.0.
The Lobos led from the first point to the last point in the first set with no ties en route to the 13-point set win. A kill by Bierria, a Rebel attack error and a Twitty and Tan block gave UNM an early 3-0 lead, which would stretch to four at 7-3 through the first 10 points of the set and five at 10-5 through the first 15 points. A 3-0 run with a block by Kaitlynn Biassou and Tan, a Twitty kill and a Moldan service ace expanded the margin to seven at 15-8 at the media timeout, and then further to eight at 18-9 following consecutive Freiwald aces which was part of a 4-0 run. UNM doubled its lead at 22-11 following another 3-0 run on a Danica Rowan kill, a Tan solo block and a Bierria kill. A Biassou kill gave the Lobos set point at 24-12 and Tan ended it with her second solo block of the set as UNM cruised to a 25-12 win. UNM closed the set taking the final three points with Tan accounting for two of them on a kill and a block.
Of note, UNM hit .500 on 14 kills, one error on 26 attempts, led by three each from Biassou and Bierria, with 6.0 total blocks, including two solo and four assisted by Tan. Biassou was responsible for three assisted blocks in the opening set.
The second set contained 10 ties and seven lead changes as UNLV got out to an early lead in the set at 5-2. The Lobos closed within one at 9-8 and tied it on Bierria kills, the first tie of the set since two-all. A Rebel attack error gave UNM its first lead of the set since it was 2-1, which grew to two at 12-10 on an attack error by UNLV. UNLV tied the set at 13 and took a 14-13 lead, which the Lobos took the lead back on consecutive Rebel attack errors. UNM’s lead extended to two out of the media timeout at 16-14 on another attack error, however, UNLV would tie the set at 17 and again at 19 on two Lobo attack errors and then took a 20-19 lead. Rowan tied the set with a kill but the Rebels scored the next two points to go back ahead. A Bierria kill brought the Lobos within one and Twitty brought the Lobos back to even. An ace by Bierria gave UNM set point at 24-22 as part of a 4-0 run, but UNLV scored the next four points to take the set, 26-24.
Bierria registered six of the team’s 11 kills in the second set and hit .444, as well as recorded an ace to lead the Lobos. However, as a team the Lobos hit .026 with 10 errors while UNLV hit .106 with 13 kills and just eight errors to edge the Lobos in the set.
UNLV got out to a 3-0 lead, which grew to 8-3 and 10-4, as the Rebels never trailed in the third set. UNM closed within four at 13-9 on a kill by Tan, but it was the closest the Lobos would get in the remainder of the set as the Rebels got the points back to build a nine-point lead at 18-9 before eventually taking the third set, 25-15.
The Lobos had a match-low nine kills in the set and hit .067 with Twitty and Bierria each tallying three, while UNLV hit its match-high .480. UNM was out-blocked 5.0-1.0 in the set with Twitty and Rachel Murphy combining for the lone Lobo block.
Consecutive Tan kills gave UNM an early 2-1 lead in the fourth set, but there were six ties in the first 12 points and eight ties in the first 18 points before UNLV pulled ahead by four at 13-9 on a 5-0 run. Out of a Lobo timeout, UNM cut the deficit in half on kills by Rowan and Biassou and a Bierria and Tan block brought UNM within one, however, UNLV regained its three-point lead at 15-12. UNM closed again within one at 17-16 on a Twitty and Murphy block, but the Lobos couldn’t find the tying point as UNLV continued to lead after taking three of the next four points. A Bierria kill brought UNM within two at 20-18, but UNLV managed to keep separation, reaching set point at 24-19. UNM fought it off twice on a Bierria kill and a Biassou and Tan block but the Rebels would take the next point to win the set 25-21 and the match.
Bierria and Biassou closed the match with three more kills in the final set as the Lobos hit .212 with 12 kills. At the net, UNM added 5.0 total blocks with three from Murphy and two each from Biassou, Tan and Bierria.
UNM (10-19, 5-12) saw its two-match win streak come to an end on Tuesday evening while UNLV (18-10, 14-3 MW) continued its win streak to five matches.
Up next, the Lobos travel to Air Force for their final match of the season, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m.