ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The Mountain West gauntlet continues for the Lobo volleyball team as New Mexico travels to Boise and Logan, Utah for the seventh week of Mountain West play.
Thursday’s match with Boise State is set for 7 p.m. MT and Saturday’s match with Utah State is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT. Both matches are available on the Mountain West Network.
New Mexico enters the match against Boise State at 17-6 overall, 8-4 in the MW, and face two comparable records in Boise State (17-8, 6-6 MW) and Utah State (17-7, 9-3 MW). However, the Lobos won the first meeting with both teams this season, defeating the Aggies in five sets and the Broncos in four sets almost a month ago in Albuquerque.
In addition, the Lobos are coming off of a 2-0 record on the week for the third time this season in conference play, defeating both Wyoming and conference-leader Colorado State. UNM broke CSU’s seven-match win streak in the four-set victory and earned its 11th sweep of the season (fourth in only MW matches) against Wyoming.
Kaitlynn Biassou and Uxue Guereca each had 21 kills on the week, with Guereca recording her sixth double-double of the season against Colorado State with 14 kills and11 digs. Guereca finished second on the team in digs with 24, with Alena Moldan leading the Lobos with 31 digs, and average of 4.43 per set. Elizabeth Woods had a dominant 13.0 total blocks on the week with a season-high seven against Wyoming and a solo and five assisted blocks against CSU, both match highs. In addition, Woods finished the week with 14 kills and a .433 hitting percentage. Melissa Walden led with 42 assists, averaging 6.00 per set.
As a team, UNM outhit CSU .250 to .161 and held the advantage in every statistical category: kills (49-48), assists (46-43), blocks (11.0-5.0), digs (62-46) and service aces (2-1). Against the Cowgirls, UNM outhit Wyoming .196 to .115 and held the advantage in all but one category: kills (40-35), assists (36-31), digs (48-42), and blocks (10.0-7.0).
UNM has benefited from the solid play of several players at all positions.
The combination of Alena Moldan and Melissa Walden have been dominant for the Lobos, with both among the top of the MW in overall digs and digs per set (Moldan second at 347, third at 4.34 per set) and assists (Walden fourth at 659, 8.24 per set). Moldan has recorded double-digit digs in the last nine matches and in 18 of the 23 matches this season, while Walden has registered 11 double-doubles.
Biassou is on pace to have her best season as a Lobo, already surpassing her season best number of kills, points, hitting percentage and service aces and one shy in digs. The outside hitter has recorded at least 10 kills in 14 of the last 16 matches, with a career-high 26 against Utah State, and has 10-plus kills in 16 of the 23 matches this season and 20-plus kills in three matches.
Woods earned her second MW Freshman of the Week on Monday after a balanced 14 kills, 13 total blocks and .433 hitting performance against CSU and Wyoming, and is tied for the team high in total blocks on the season with 67, but holds the team high with 10 solo blocks and is averaging 1.10 blocks per set.
Since the last time the Lobos faced the Broncos, Boise State has gone 3-4, with wins over UNLV (twice in five sets), and San Diego State (3-1) and lost to Utah State (3-2), San Diego State (3-0), Fresno State (3-1) and Sacramento State (3-0). Boise State has won its last two matches, against UNLV and San Diego State.
Lauren Ohlinger continues to lead the Broncos in kills with 340, an average of 3.58 per set, and more than double the next scorer Makayla Hansen (165, 2.46 per set), although Hansen has played just 67 of the team’s 95 sets this season. Ohlinger also leads in service aces (42). Danielle Boss has 835 of the team’s 1083 assists, averaging 10.18 per set. Defensively, Alyssa Wissinger has a team-high 106.0 total blocks (12 solo, 94 assisted), and Jolei Akima has 260 digs to lead the Broncos with three players over 200 digs on the season.
Jessica Donahue is currently third in the MW in hitting percentage in MW matches with .396 (57-17-101) and Boss is third in assists per set but second in overall assists (467). Wissinger is fourth in blocks with 41 total blocks (5 solo, 36 assisted) and in blocks per set (1.17). As a team, the Broncos are 13th in the NCAA in blocks per set, 19th in aces per set and 36th in hitting percentage (.257). Boise State leads the MW in blocks and blocks per set and is third in hitting percentage in MW matches.
Since the last meeting with the Aggies, Utah State went on a six-match win streak with wins over Air Force, UNLV, San Diego State (twice), Boise State and Fresno State, with three of those matches going five sets, two in four sets and one sweep. UNLV ended Utah State’s streak in its last match in straight sets.
Tatum Stall leads USU in kills with 271 on the year, an average of 2.82 per set, with four other hitters over 100 kills. Stall also leads in service aces at 30. Kennedi Boyd leads with a .423 hitting percentage (168-34-317), with Kalena Vaivai accounting for 499 assists (5.20 per set). Corinne Larsen leads in total blocks at 103.0 (15 solo, 88 assisted) and Abby Peterson has a team-best 301 digs and averaging 3.34 per set. Boyd leads the MW in hitting percentage in MW matches and Peterson is fourth in digs per set.
The Aggies are currently tied for second in the MW at 9-3 and Boise State is tied for sixth at 6-6 in the conference. UNM is fourth at 8-4. At home in MW play this season, BSU is 2-3 and Utah State is 5-0.