Three Lobos Record Double-Doubles in Loss to NAU
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Uxue Guereca, Alia Rasmussen and Kaitlynn Biassou registered double-doubles, with Guereca tying her career high with a team-high 14 kills to go along with 11 digs, but New Mexico was unable to match Northern Arizona, falling in four sets (25-13, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18) on Thursday night.
Rasmussen recorded her first double-double as a Lobo, tying Guereca with 11 digs for the team high to match 11 assists, and Biassou recorded her second-straight double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
Kali Wolf led the Lobos with three service aces, one of three Lobos to finish with multiple aces in the match with Avital Jaloba and Melissa Walden tallying two each. All three tied their career highs against the Lumberjacks.
Wolf also finished with nine kills for the third-straight match, with five of her kills occurring in the third set.
NAU had its best match of the season on Thursday, hitting a season-best .310, while the Lobos hit just .184 with 22 attack errors contributing to the offensive struggle.
The two teams battled early on in the first set, with UNM staying within two points of NAU before ultimately tying the set at seven. After an Elizabeth Woods’ kill tied the set at 10, NAU went on two 5-0 runs to push the Lobo deficit to nine at 20-11. A Guereca kill ended the run and a Jaloba kill provided the final Lobo point, but the Lumberjacks took the first set 25-13 behind a .517 hitting percentage.
In the second set, the two teams combined for seven ties and four lead changes, with the Lobos falling behind early 4-1. However, the Lobos rallied from down 14-9 to close within 2 at 14-12 on a 3-0 run and used another 3-0 run to tie the set at 15, the first tie of the set. UNM and NAU had ties at 16 and 17 before UNM pulled ahead 19-17 on a Woods kill and Lumberjack attack error, to which NAU responded to tie the set at 19. NAU closed the set on a 4-0 run to take the set after a Guereca kill put the Lobos up 22-21.
Guereca had five kills in the second set, with Woods and Biassou contributing four each.
Facing a must-have set, the Lobos got out to an early 4-1 lead. However, the lead wouldn’t hold as NAU answered to tie the set at five, one of two ties in the set. A kill by Kassie McGill broke the final tie at 7-6, in what would part of a 6-0 Lobo run that included two blocks, a kill, a NAU attack error and a service ace. UNM built a six-point lead at 21-15 on a Guereca kill, but NAU narrowed the margin to two at 21-19 before consecutive Guereca kills stopped the momentum. An attack error gave UNM set point and Walden completed the set with a service ace for a 25-19 set win to extend the match.
Wolf hit .833 in the set with five kills on six attempts, with Biassou hitting .667 on four kills on six attempts to lead the Lobos. On the other side of the net, the Lobos held the Lumberjacks to their lowest hitting percentage of the match at .091 and were aided by three total blocks, including two from Woods.
UNM’s momentum didn’t carry over into the fourth set as NAU went on a 9-0 run that pushed the Lobo deficit to 10 at 13-3. UNM attempted to climb back with a 5-0 scoring run to cut deficit in half at 13-8, but the run was halted by a NAU timeout. UNM got as close as four on a Jaloba service ace that made it 19-15 before falling 25-18 in the set.
Guereca closed with four kills in the fourth set and Biassou added three to her tally.
UNM (8-2) gets another chance at NAU with a home match against the Lumberjacks on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. in Johnson Gym.
Saturday’s home match will be Frontline Worker and First Responder Appreciation Day as the Lobos thank all the heroes who have put it all on the line during the COVID-19 pandemic. All first responders and frontline workers who served during the pandemic can get free admission to this match by just showing an ID. In addition, the Lobos will recognize first responders and frontline workers during the match.
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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.