Lobos Host Spartans Before Heading to Nevada
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The Lobos look to reset from week eight with a home match against the Spartans before heading back on the road to face Nevada.
First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday against SJSU in the Johnson Center and 2 p.m. MT on the road at Nevada on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and will have live stats available.
Thursday night will be Women in Sports Night and the UNM SAAC will be collecting canned food to be donated to the UNM Food Pantry to help UNM students in need during the holiday season.
After dropping both matches on the week, the Lobos are 5-3 in conference, but face another 5-3 team in San José State. UNM is tied with both San José State and UNLV in the conference standings and are behind second-place Utah State (7-2) and leader Colorado State (7-1).
Kaitlynn Biassou continues to lead the Lobos in offense, and the conference in kills per set and points per set. The outside hitter has recorded at least 10 kills in 11 of the last 12 matches, with a career-high 26 against Utah State, and has 10-plus kills in 13 of the 19 matches this season. The 26 kills against USU are the most by any MW player in a match this season. Six times this season she has hit over .400 and once hit over .500 in a match (against Air Force, 14-3-21). The Reno, Nev., native leads the MW in kills per set (4.21) and points per set (4.91) and is second in points (142.5) and kills (122) in conference matches. She is also seventh in service aces per set. Against her hometown team, Nevada, Biassou has recorded double-digit kills in each of the four matches (19 kills (2019 at Nevada), 14 kills (2019 at home), 14 kills (2020-21 at Nevada) and 16 kills (2020-21 at Nevada)).
Biassou and the attackers have benefited from the setting of Melissa Walden, who is now up to 11 double-doubles on the season, and has recorded 544 assists, 29 kills, 13 service aces, 191 digs and 16 total blocks (1 solo, 15 assisted). Defensively, Alena Moldan has refused to let balls hit the ground, with 292 digs on the season, including double-digit digs in the last five matches and in 14 of the 19 matches this season.
In the Mountain West, the Lobos lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.148), second in digs per set (14.86), third in kills per set (12.94) and fourth in hitting percentage. On the season, Biassou is second in kills per set (3.77) and points per set (4.49), with Uxue Guereca ninth in points per set (3.63) and kills per set (3.08). Biassou does have the second-most kills (245) and points (292) in the conference. Moldan is third in digs per set (4.49) but does have the most number of digs and Walden is fourth in assists per set (8.37) and overall assists. In just conference matches, UNM is third in opponent hitting percentage (.200), with Walden fifth in assists per set (7.17) but the fourth-most assists (208), and Moldan fifth in digs per set (3.48). Emma Smith is also fifth in blocks per set (1.18) with the fourth-most number of total blocks (26).
To date, the Lobos have 121 more kills (841-720), 89 more assists (758-669), 66 more digs (966-900), 22 more blocks (138-116) and 38 more aces (103-65) than their opponents and are outhitting their opponents .241 to .148.
The Spartans enter the match having won their last two matches, straight-set wins over Fresno State and Nevada. However, SJSU is 5-3 in conference with a four-set loss to Colorado State, a five-set loss to Wyoming and a straight-set loss to Utah State and wins over UNLV (three sets), San Diego State (three sets) and Boise State (five sets) to go along with wins against Fresno State and Nevada. Haylee Nelson leads the team in kills with 211 (3.64 per set), while three other players have over 100 on the season: Latahevai Lousi (142), Amethyst Harper (182) and Ryann Thomison (134). In addition, Nelson leads with 247 points with Harper at 213.5. Mia Schafer has accounted for 599 assists, an average of 10.7 per set, and is tied with Nelson for the team high in service aces at 25. Defensively, Sarah Smevog holds the team high in digs at 284, averaging 4.51 per set, and Thomison leads in total blocks at 43 (eight solo, 35 assisted). Schafer leads the MW in assists in conference only matches (299, 10.31 per set) with Smevog leading the conference in digs per set in conference matches at 4.48. As a team, SJSU is first in service aces per set (1.9), second in digs per set (14.72), third in assists per set (12.07) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.204) in conference-only matches. In overall matches, the Spartans are first in assists per set (12.32) and second in kills per set (13.18). SJSU is sixth in the NCAA in aces per set and 24th in total aces, and Schafer is 26th in assists per set.
UNM is 16-8 all-time against SJSU, 7-2 at home. The Lobos are 8-1 in three sets, 5-2 in four sets and 2-5 in five sets.
Kyla Waiters currently leads the Wolf Pack in kills with 163 (2.59 per set), while Reka Monteleone is closely behind at 159 (2.48 per set). Sydney Petersen is hitting .362 with 152 kills (152-40-309) and leads the Pack in points (190.5, 2.98 per set). Andrea Alcaraz has a team-best 474 assists, an average of 7.41 per set, and Kaila Spevak leads with 21 service aces and 237 digs (3.70 per set). Petersen leads in total blocks at 61.0 with four solo and 57 assisted.
UNM is 15-2 overall against Nevada, including 9-1 in Reno and the last six matches. The Lobos are 7-0 in three sets, 6-2 in four sets and 2-0 in five sets.