ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The week starts early for the Lobos, who host Air Force on Tuesday night at Johnson Center with first serve set for 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for the match are available at golobos.com/tickets. For those unable to attend, the match will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with live stats available.
UNM looks to respond after dropping two hard-fought matches at home against Wyoming and Colorado State, forcing a fifth set with the Cowgirls that ended in a 24-22 final score, and went on late runs in the first two sets against the Rams.
Kaitlynn Biassou led the Lobos with 42 kills between the two matches, averaging 4.67 per set, with Uxue Guereca and Melissa Walden producing double-doubles in each of the matches. Getting the start in both matches, Walden finished with 91 assists, an average of 10.11 per set, and was second on the team in digs with 31 while also contributing eight assisted blocks.
Avital Jaloba led in total blocks with 15 (all assisted) and tied her career high in blocks in Saturday’s match with eight. Alena Moldan led in digs with 34, and in service aces with five.
Uxue Guereca leads with nine double-doubles and Kali Wolf has five double-doubles on the season, the second most on the team. Further, beyond recording a double-double in the last two matches, Guereca has had a double-double in five of the last six matches she has played in.
As a team, the Lobos have found production blocking as of late, finishing with 10 or more total blocks in six matches this season, including in each of the last three matches and four of the last five.
The Lobos recorded a season-best 13.0 total blocks in the match against Colorado State, had 10.0 against Wyoming, 11.0 at Utah State, 11.5 at NAU and 11.0 against both UCSD and Liberty.
UNM is 4-2 when registering double-digit blocks.
To date, Jaloba leads the Lobos with 64.0 total blocks (seven solo, 57 assisted), followed by freshman Lea Zurlinden, who has 47.0 total blocks (45 assisted, two solo). Jaloba is fifth in the MW in blocks per set (1.07) on the season and second in just conference matches (1.29) with a conference-best 22 total blocks.
For the Falcons, Air Force enters Tuesday’s match 8-8 on the season and 0-4 in conference with a loss to Utah State and Wyoming in five and two sweeps to Boise State and Colorado State. The Falcons share one non-conference opponent with the Lobos in UC San Diego, with Air Force losing in four sets.
Joi Harvey leads the team in kills at 161 (2.56 per set), followed by Brookelyn Messenger, who has 155 (2.42 per set). Caroline Reinkensmeyer has a team-high 326 assists (5.09 per set), but the Falcons have three players with over 100 assists on the season in Amber Soto (168, 4.94 per set) and Ellie Eichhorn (110, 3.93 per set). Messenger and Reinkensmeyer are tied for the team lead in aces at 23. When it comes to digs, Murphy Riggs leads in digs with 171 (2.67 per set), and at the net, Harvey leads with 87 total blocks (15 solo, and an average of 1.38 per set).
Harvey leads the MW in blocks per set and in blocks, and is fourth in hitting percentage at .370 (161-41-324). As a team, Air Force is second in the MW in blocks per set (2.44) and third in service aces per set (1.77).
UNM swept Air Force last season, winning in three to open the conference schedule and winning at Air Force in five. The Lobos are 42-6 all-time against the Falcons, 20-2 at home, and have won the last three matches and four of the last five.