Lobos Open Season at Titan Classic
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The University of New Mexico volleyball team begins its 2021 season on Friday, Aug. 27, starting with a three-match tournament at Cal State Fullerton.
UNM opens the season up against Fordham at 12 p.m. PT/ 1 p.m. MT and concludes opening day with host CSUF at 6 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. MT. The Lobos face UC Riverside to conclude the weekend on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. PT/ 2 p.m. Only the match against the host Titans will be streamed, which can be found on ESPN+. All three matches will have live stats for fans to follow along.
The Lobos are 2-0 in opening matches under head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar and have opened on the road in each of the last two seasons.
All four teams in the Titan Classic open up their season facing different scenarios, with Big West teams Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside missing last season after the Big West cancelled the season due to COVID-19.
The Titans lost some key players as their assist leader and leader in digs from 2019 are no longer on the team, and have undergone a roster revamp with 11 newcomers in 2021. The Highlanders return two key players from 2019, but lost two statistical leaders. Returning are Amarachi Osuji, who led UC Riverside in 2019 with 277 kills (2.92 k/s), 20 service aces and 309.5 points, and Isabella Scarlett, who led in blocks with 58.0 total blocks. UC Riverside lost its lead setter in Morgan Kline, who led the team with 618 assists in 2019, as well as its leader in digs in Renata Bath (260).
The Fordham Rams enter the season with 12 returners on the roster from the 2020 shortened season, where they went 5-5 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic 10 to finish fourth in the conference. Fordham reached the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals, losing to No. 1 seed Dayton in three sets, but it was the first time the program had reached that stage of the league’s postseason in the Atlantic 10 era.
For the Lobos, the 2021 roster features a solid mix of newcomers (six) versus returners (nine), underclassmen (seven) versus upperclassmen (eight). Outside hitter Kaitlynn Biassou, a junior who has started in all but one match in her previous two seasons at UNM, as well as junior libero Alena Moldan, who started in every match during her time as a Lobo, will serve as co-captains this season for the second-straight year. Moldan has led the team in digs in each of the last two years and Biassou returns as the team leader in kills, kills per set, service aces and points, and second in digs and total blocks.
Sophomore Tori Tua led the Lobos in total blocks last season, registering 40, playing in 45 sets. Outside hitters Uxue Guereca and Kali Wolf showed their ability to take over a match throughout last season, and the position group will be aided with an additional scoring threat in Kassie McGill, who earned MW honorable mention last season at Nevada. While young, middle blockers Emma Smith and Elizabeth Woods are expected to produce big numbers with ample opportunity to step onto the court.
The libero group grew by one with the transition of Hayley Torres from an outside hitter to a libero in the offseason. With the senior’s addition, the Lobos now have three solid options in juniors Chloe Clark and Moldan. At the setter position, the Lobos will rely on two newcomers in junior Alia Rasmussen and sophomore Melissa Walden.
SERIES RECORDS
Historically, the Lobos have fared well with both UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton, while this will be the first meeting all-time with Fordham.
UNM is 3-0 all-time against UCR, with all three matches at home. The last time the two teams met was Sept. 6 2013, a 3-0 win over the Highlanders. The Lobos have won 3-0 in all three matches. UNM holds a 3-1 advantage in the series with the Titans, including 1-0 on the road that took place on Nov. 21, 1989. The last time the two teams met was Sept. 5, 2015, a 3-0 win for the Lobos. The lone loss came at home on Sept. 9, 2006, another 3-0 decision. All four matches between the two teams have ended in 3-0 results.
BECOME A PRIDE PASS HOLDER
Lobo fans can purchase Pride Passes to attend all home volleyball matches. For $50, fans receive admission for all soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball and track and field home events.
Fans can purchase their Lobo Pride Pass online here (CLICK HERE), or they can do so directly through the Lobo Ticket Office in person or on the phone (925-LOBO). The Lobo Ticket Office is located in The Pit and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets will be digital with tickets to each event uploaded into each pass holder’s account prior to the season