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Lobos Complete Season Sweep of SDSU with Senior Day Sweep

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The New Mexico Lobos ended their home schedule like they started it, with a sweep.

Led by 12 kills and a .545 hitting percentage by Uxue Guereca and 10 kills and an .833 hitting percentage by Avital Jaloba, combined with a match-high 38 assists by Alia Rasmussen and team-high nine digs from Kali Wolf, the Lobos earned their 12th sweep of the season in a 25-23, 25-23, 25-13 win over San Diego State on Senior Day.

Of note, Rasmussen’s 38 assists were three more than the Aztecs had as a team.

Freshman Elizabeth Woods tallied one solo and four assisted blocks in the match, matching SDSU’s team total on the afternoon, with the Lobos finishing with 9.0 total team blocks.

With the win, UNM swept SDSU for the first time since Nov. 19, 2016, earned its first season sweep over SDSU since 2009 and earned its 10th home win of the season, the most since 2015.

UNM showed its resolve in the match, fighting back from down 17-12 in the first set to close within one on a Woods kill before ultimately completing the comeback to tie the set at 21-all on a solo block by Biassou. The Lobos took a 22-21 lead out of a SDSU timeout on an Aztec attack error, and following a final tie at 22, Jaloba and Kassie McGill pushed the Lobos to set point at 24-22. San Diego State fought it off once before a service error ended the set at 25-23 in favor of the Lobos.

There were a total of eight ties to just two lead changes in the opening set.

After SDSU started the second set winning four of the first five points, and again led by four at 12-8, the Lobos used a 6-3 scoring run to close within one. The Aztecs answered each time the Lobos closed the gap, and led by four late in the set at 23-19, prompting another Lobo rally. Consecutive kills by Guereca forced a San Diego State timeout and a block by Jaloba and Wolf followed by an Aztec attack error tied the set at 23. Another attack error on the following play set UNM up for set point and its first lead of the set, and a Rasmussen ace clinched the set for the Lobos. UNM closed the set on a 6-0 run to win another 25-23 set.

Guereca led the Lobos with five kills in the set, hitting a clean .500 (5-0-10), with Jaloba hitting .750 with three kills, and Biassou and Woods registering four kills.

The momentum continued into the third set with the Lobos taking the early 6-3 lead. Although SDSU tied the set at six, a Woods solo block restored the lead for UNM and was the start of a 5-0 run that also included two Guereca kills, and a Jaloba and Rasmussen block. An Aztec kill ended the run, but the Lobos got the point right back on the next play on a Jaloba kill that started a second 5-0 run that pushed the lead to 10 at 18-8, capped by a McGill kill. A 3-0 run pushed the Lobos to 23 points, Guereca got the Lobos to match point and Jaloba sealed the sweep with a final kill.

Jaloba was a perfect 5-for-5 in kills in the third set, and McGill was also perfect with three kills on three attacks as the Lobos outhit the Aztecs .476 to -.062 in the set.

The Lobos improved to 18-9 and more importantly 9-7 in the MW with the win.