ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Ahead of the 2022 volleyball season, senior outside hitter Kaitlynn Biassou has been voted to the Preseason All-Mountain West team, while the Lobos were picked to finish fifth in the conferenced with 68 points.
With the selection, Biassou earns her first preseason selection and becomes the first to make the list since Lauren Twitty in 2019. Additionally, it is the highest the Lobos have been projected to finish under Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar and the highest since 2018, when UNM was also picked to finish fifth with 59 points.
Biassou enters the season coming off her best season as a Lobo, with 391 kills (3.65 per set), 36 service aces, 459.5 points and hit .256, all season bests for the Reno, Nevada native. In addition, defensively, the senior recorded 170 digs and 63 total blocks.
In comparison to the rest of the MW, Biassou finished second in points per set and third in kills per set in conference with 290.5 points (4.40 per set) and 252 kills (3.82 per set). However, she is the top returner in each of the categories.
Of the 18 conference matches, the Lobo co-captain recorded 10-plus kills in 13, including 20-plus kills in three and a career-high 26 kills in the win over Utah State. Her 26 kills were the second-highest total by a Mountain West player in a match last season and her 21 against Nevada were the second most by a player in a three-set match. In addition, her 30 points against Utah State and 26.5 points against Nevada were the second and third highest points scored by a player in the conference season. Biassou had two of the five highest point totals produced.
She also hit over .400 in five matches, over .500 in three and hit a career-best .606 in the win at Nevada. From the service line, Biassou registered at least one service ace in 10 matches, finishing with four aces in two matches.
As a team, the Lobos are primed to build on their success from 2021, in which New Mexico started off the season projected to finish 10th in the Mountain West preseason poll and without a player on the preseason list. At the end of the season, however, the Lobos finished the regular season 20-9, 11-7 in conference, the first time with 20 wins since 2013 and the 11 conference wins the most since 2014 and the Lobos clinching a spot in the MW Tournament as the fifth-seed.
In addition, UNM finished the regular season with a conference-best eight weekly conference awards, with Biassou and Uxue Guereca earning all-conference.
New Mexico hosts New Mexico Highlands in an exhibition on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. before opening up the season at home against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. and Abilene Christian on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.
The Mountain West portion of the schedule begins on the road at Boise State on Sept. 22, with the first MW home match against Wyoming on Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m.
To purchase season tickets, please go to golobos.com/tickets and click on the Lobo Pride Pass.
2022 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Colorado State (6) | 93 |
| 2. | Utah State (3) | 91 |
| 3. | Boise State (1) | 75 |
| San José State (1) | 75 | |
| 5. | New Mexico | 68 |
| 6. | UNLV | 57 |
| 7. | Wyoming | 47 |
| 8. | San Diego State | 33 |
| 9. | Fresno State | 29 |
| 10. | Air Force | 27 |
| 11. | Nevada | 10 |
2022 PRESEASON ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST TEAM
Lauren Ohlinger, Sr., OH, Boise State
Paige Bartsch, So., OPP, Boise State
Kennedy Stanford, Jr., OH, Colorado State
Ciera Pritchard, Sr., S, Colorado State
Kaitlynn Biassou, Sr., OH, New Mexico
Haylee Nelson, Sr., OH/OPP, San José State
Sarah Smevog, Sr., L, San José State
Tatum Stall, Jr., OH, Utah State
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Paige Bartsch, So., OPP, Boise State