Lobos Rally in Fourth Set to Defeat Wolf Pack
RENO, Nev.— The University of New Mexico volleyball team claimed its second win over Nevada on the weekend behind a gritty fourth set comeback in which the Lobos trailed 22-18 and ended up winning 25-23 to clinch the match.
In just her second collegiate match, outside hitter Kali Wolf proved the moment wasn’t too big, finishing with a match-high 20 kills, including eight in the final set, and 14 digs for her second double-double in the series.
The freshman was one of three Lobos to finish with double-digit kills and one of three Lobos to finish with double-doubles. Kara Erfurth accounted for a match-high 53 of the team’s 56 assists on the afternoon to go along with 10 digs, Uxue Guereca recorded her second double-double of the weekend with 11 kills and a team-high 18 digs and Reno native Kaitlynn Biassou tallied 16 kills in the match.
At the net, junior middle blocker Avital Jaloba posted a match-high five assisted blocks and at the service line, three Lobos- Alena Moldan, Erfurth and Guereca- had two aces.
While the first set started with four ties in the first 10 points, the Lobos created some distance scoring five of the next seven points to pull ahead 10-7. The Wolf Pack got a point back, but the Lobos scored the next three points on kills from Guereca, Biassou and Milica Djukic to push the Lobo advantage to five at 13-8.
A Nevada point would end the run, however, the Lobos would again answer with a 3-0 run to keep the gap intact. Nevada got as close as four at 16-12, but the Lobos would run away with the set late to win 25-18.
Wolf opened the match with five kills with Biassou hitting .667 with four kills as the Lobos hit .452 in the first set.
The Lobos created separation early in the second set, getting out to a 7-2 lead on a Moldan ace, and the Lobos would later use a 5-0 run to go up 16-6 with Guereca accounting for three kills in that stretch. Another run, this time 4-0, got the Lobos past the 20-point mark in the set at 21-8, and while Nevada fought off three set points, Jaloba closed the door with a kill for the 25-15 second set win.
UNM hit .538 in the second set with Wolf again hitting .500 with five kills, and Guereca contributing four kills, as the Lobos won their fifth-straight set against Nevada dating back to Friday’s match. On the other side of the net, Nevada hit just .083.
The third set played close with nine ties and two lead changes, the last occurring at 14-all, before Nevada used a 6-0 run to put the set out of reach for the Lobos, extending the match with the 25-17 set win.
In the fourth set, the Lobos showed their fight, climbing back from 14-9 to pull within one on a Jaloba and Biassou block, two kills by Wolf and a kill by Jaloba. Nevada would score the next point to end the run and gain some separation at 16-13, but the Lobos would hang close and close the score to within one at 18-17 on an Erfurth ace and again at 19-18.
A 3-0 Wolf Pack late put UNM on the brink of a fifth set at 22-18, but the Lobos answered with a 4-0 run on a Wolf kill, a combined block from Jaloba and Biassou, another kill by Wolf and a Nevada attack error to tie the set at 22.
Nevada scored the next point to go back up, but the Lobos closed with the next three points on another kill by Wolf, a Jaloba and Erfurth combined block and a final Wolf kill to clinch the set at 25-23 and the match. UNM closed the match on a 7-1 run with four kills from Wolf and two combined blocks from Jaloba.
Wolf finished with eight kills in the fourth set, again hitting .500, while Jaloba had a part in all three assisted blocks.
As a team, the Lobos held the advantage in kills (59-53), hitting percentage (.305-.228), assists (56-48), digs (67-55) and service aces (6-5).
With the win, UNM has now won the last six matches against the Wolf Pack and are 15-2 overall. Up next for UNM (2-0) is a two-match series at Wyoming scheduled for Feb. 12 and 13.