UNM Opens Home Schedule with UNM Classic
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The road has been good to The University of New Mexico volleyball team this season, but now the Lobos are home for a two-day, six-match tournament starting Friday morning at The Pit.
The Lobos will host Southeastern Louisiana (Friday at 12:30 p.m.), Seattle U (Friday at 6:30 p.m.) and UC San Diego (Saturday at 1 p.m.) with the three teams also playing in two neutral matches. The first match of the tournament will begin on Friday at 10 a.m. Of note, only the UNM matches will be streamed on the Mountain West Network, but all matches will have live stats provided.
Friday’s matches will have a tourney two-pack promotion as fans who purchase a ticket to UNM’s first match can use the ticket for free admission to the night match against Seattle U. It is also Take a Kid to the Match Day where for every adult ticket purchased, you can get a free youth ticket (ages 12 and under). Saturday’s match against UCSD is free admission, however there will be a charge for parking due to the football game that evening.
UNM enters the weekend having earned six wins without losing a single set. UNM is only one of four schools in the nation that haven’t dropped a set, joined by Auburn, Florida Gulf Coast and Memphis. Only the 2008 team has had a better start, winning their first eight matches in straight sets.
Through the first two weekends, the Lobos are winning in dominating fashion, having 100 more kills (247-147), 86 more assists (223-137), 74 more digs (304-230), 29 more blocks (44.0-15.0) and 23 more aces (36-13) than their opponents and are outhitting their opponents .301 to .031. The .031 opponent hitting percentage leads the NCAA, and have held five of six opponents below a .050 hitting percentage.
In addition to leading the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage, UNM is 16th in hitting percentage (.299) and 21st in digs per set (17.5). Alena Moldan is seventh in the NCAA in digs per set at 5.78. In the Mountain West, the Lobos are leading in digs per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and wins. Moldan leads the MW in digs per set as well as in total digs (104).
Newcomers have stepped up greatly for the Lobos, especially sophomore setter Melissa Walden and freshman middle blocker Elizabeth Woods.
Walden was an assist machine in her first six matches, recoding 30-plus assists (30, 32 and 39) in three matches and 20-plus assists in the other three (25, 28 and 27) for a total of 182 assists, and is averaging 10.11 assists per set. The Aurora, Ill., native has produced the second-most number of assists and assists per set in the Mountain West, with 21 more assists than the person in third while playing the same number of sets. In addition, Walden registered four double-doubles (30 assists, 12 digs against Cal State Fullerton; 39 assists, 12 digs against Fordham; 32 assists,13 digs against Green Bay and 28 assists, 11 digs against Abilene Christian), recorded 14 kills, including six against Cal State Fullerton, four service aces, 66 digs and eight total blocks (all assisted).
Woods has started in all six matches and played in all 18 sets in her first two weekends as a Lobo. The middle blocker led the Lobos with 10.0 blocks on the first weekend, averaging 1.11 blocks per set, with three solo and seven assisted, as well as in the second weekend with an even better 12.0 total blocks, two solo and 10 assisted. Although just a freshman, Woods has shown her ability to step up in big moments, providing a pivotal block or kill and was recently named MW Freshman of the Week on Sept. 6.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
This will be the first meeting with Southeastern Louisiana and UC San Diego for New Mexico, but the third meeting with Seattle U.
Southeastern Louisiana enters 0-4 with losses to Gonzaga (3-2), Mississippi State (3-1), Cal State Fullerton (3-1) and Auburn (3-0). Cicily Hidalgo leads the team with 45 kills, followed by Karlee Wilkerson with 35. Gracie Duplechein has accounted for a team-high 65 assists with Ariana Hebert behind her at 57. Ansley Tullis leads with 56 digs and Crispin Adams, India Bennett and Wilkerson all have 10.0 total blocks. As a team, the Lady Lions have played in 16 sets, averaging 10.1 kills, 9.1 assists, 15.1 digs and 1.7 blocks per set and are hitting .167. SLU was picked to finish third in the Southland preseason poll with one first place vote and a total of 144 votes.
Seattle U is 1-6 on the year, with its lone win against MW team Air Force (in three sets). The Redhawks have lost in three sets against UTEP, UC Irvine, Gonzaga and Oklahoma and in five sets against Idaho State and Montana. Through 25 sets played, Eve Kerschenbaum leads the team with 68 kills and Sierra Bartley has 54. Seattle U has two setters that are almost even in assists, with Darian Goins at 113 (4.52 per set) and Ezgi Ozkan at 91 (4.14 per set) assists on the season. Erin Goya has a team-best nine service aces. Katlyn Sipes has 60 digs to lead the team and Julia Queiroz leads with eight total blocks (one solo and seven assisted). As a team, Seattle U is hitting .152 with 10.0 kills per set, 9.2 assists per set, 10.4 digs per set and 1.2 blocks per set.
UNM holds a 2-0 advantage over the Redhawks, with one match at home and one on the road, both matches 3-0 decisions. The last time the two teams met was Sept. 14, 2018 in Seattle, where Kaitlynn Biassou recorded nine kills and Moldan had a team-high 18 digs.
UC San Diego has lost in three sets against Pacific, Arizona and California, lost in four to Tarleton State and in five sets to Marist and New Mexico State. The Tritons did not play last year as their season was cancelled due to COVID. In 23 sets played, Ava McInnes leads the team with 59 kills, followed closely by Emily McDaniel’s 49. Isabela Dobra has accounted for 100 of the team’s 245 assists, averaging 10.0 assists per set. At the service line, Susanna Limb leads with seven aces. Defensively, Naya Dong has a team-best 96 digs and McDaniel and Juliette Bokor are tied for the team lead in total blocks with 14 (Bokor has three solo and 11 assisted and McDaniel has two solo and 12 assisted). As a team, the Tritons are hitting .154 with 11.6 kills per set, 10.7 assists per set, 1.3 blocks per set and 15.7 digs per set.
This is the first year that UCSD will compete in the Big West and its first true year in Division I.
Other matches:
UCSD vs Seattle U: Friday at 10 a.m.
UCSD vs Southeastern Louisiana: Friday at 4 p.m.
Seattle U vs Southeastern Louisiana: Saturday at 10 a.m.
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.