Lobos Battle Coyotes in Five-Set Setback
EL PASO, Texas— The Lobo volleyball team dropped its first match of the season to South Dakota by the closest of margins, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25, 27-25,15-6 on Friday evening, despite three Lobos finishing with double-digit kills and two Lobos recording a double-double.
Kaitlynn Biassou led with a match- and season-high 23 kills, Kali Wolf finished with a season-high 16 kills and Uxue Guereca had 14 kills. Guereca and Biassou each recorded a double-double with 17 digs and 11 digs, respectively. Anilee Sher finished with a match- and season-high 50 assists and four service aces, while Alena Moldan tied the match high with 24 digs.
UNM held the statistical advantage in kills (62-60) and aces (10-3), but were outhit (.206-.145) and outblocked (15.0-7.0).
The Lobos scored the first two points of the match on a Coyote attack error and a Guereca ace, but the Coyotes quickly took control of the set, getting out to an 8-3 lead that grew to 16-5. The Lobos used a 3-0 run to cut into the deficit, and used a 6-0 run to get within three at 17-14. UNM continued to climb back, closing within two at 20-18 on a Lea Zurlinden ace, again at 22-20 on a Wolf kill, and fought off two set points on a Guereca kill and USD attack error that made it 24-23. However, the Lobos couldn’t get the tying point as USD won the set 25-23.
Biassou and Guereca opened the match with six kills each in the opening set, with Guereca adding an ace and four digs.
The second set played out much differently, with the Lobos and Coyotes having five ties in the first 12 points. UNM then took control of the set, using a 11-2 run to lead 17-8 and eventually doubling up on USD at 20-10. The Lobos closed with another run to take the set 25-12 and even the match up. The 12 points were the fewest points that the Coyotes have scored in a set this season.
Set three started similar to the second set with four ties in the first 12 points, and the rest of the set proved to follow a similar trend. The Lobos gained a 10-9 advantage on back-to-back Sher aces and after USD tied the set at 10, answered with a 3-0 run on kills by Guereca and Wolf and a Guereca ace. The Coyotes closed to tie the set at 14 and took a 16-14 lead, to which the Lobos later closed within one at 19-18 on Avital Jaloba and Guereca kills. The Coyotes extended their lead back to three at 22-19, but a Biassou block and assisted block by Zurlinden and Wolf pulled UNM back within one. Much like the first set, the Lobos fought off two set points at 24-21 to close within one at 24-23, but the Coyotes took the set out of a timeout 25-23.
UNM led 3-1 early in the fourth set before South Dakota tied and took a 5-3 lead, a margin the Coyotes maintained at 8-6 until the Lobos answered to tie the set at eight. After ties at nine and 10, the Lobos gained a slight advantage at 14-11 on a Wolf kill, but the Coyotes rallied to tie the set back up. There were ties at 15, 16 and 17 before consecutive Lobo kills by Wolf and Biassou put UNM back in front. A Wolf ace out of a Coyote timeout pushed the lead to 20-17, a lead that USD closed to within one at 21-20. While Guereca and Biassou kept the Lobos in front with kills that made it 23-20 UNM, the Coyotes went on a 4-0 run to take the 24-23 lead. A Biassou kill fought off match point to tie the set and had another kill to give UNM set point at 25-24. USD answered with a kill to fight off set point, but Biassou put UNM back in front with another kill and teamed up with Jaloba on a block to give UNM the 27-25 set win.
Biassou and Wolf each had seven kills in the fourth set to lead the Lobos.
The fifth set was the only set that a team led from start to finish, with USD scoring the first seven points, a margin the Lobos weren’t able to recover from and dropped the set 15-6.
UNM (3-1) closes out the Borderland Invitational with Portland State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. MT.