Lobos Continue Win Streak with Sweep of Wolf Pack
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobo volleyball team took care of business on Thursday night, making quick work of Nevada at home in a 25-15, 25-19, 25-18 sweep. It was the second-straight sweep for New Mexico and the third-straight win.
New Mexico received offensive production across the board with three players finishing in double figures in kills, but no one was better on Thursday night than Uxue Guereca, who finished with 18 kills and hit .415 with just one error on 41 attacks. Kaitlynn Biassou produced a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 17 digs and Avital Jaloba contributed 10 kills, hitting .409 with one error on 22 attempts and had a career-high six digs. For Biassou, her 17 digs tied her career high, with the other instance also against Nevada on Feb. 5, 2021. While not reaching double figures, Lea Zurlinden hit .583 on the night with seven kills, zero errors and 12 attempts.
Setting the offense, Anilee Sher accounted for 43 of UNM’s 47 assists, registering 13 more assists than the entire Wolf Pack team in the category.
The Lobos scored three of the first four points of the opening set before the Wolf Pack rallied to tie the set at three. Following a tie at four, UNM used a 3-0 run with back-to-back blocks by Jaloba and Sher to pull ahead, and another run of 4-0 to stretch the lead to five at 12-7. New Mexico led 15-9 at the media break and closed late with a 4-0 run on a Jaloba and Lauryn Payne block, a Jaloba and Sher block, a Biassou kill and Madison Blanco ace to expand the margin to eight at 20-12. After Nevada fought off set point twice, Guereca finished the set with a kill for the 25-15 win.
Biassou and Guereca each recorded four kills in the set with three each by Jaloba and Zurlinden, as the Lobos outhit the Wolf Pack .217 to .050.
Like the first set, the Lobos scored three of the first four points in the second set before Nevada tied the set at three. However, UNM responded with a 3-0 run to regain the lead at 6-3 and a 4-0 run to pull away at 10-4. Nevada pulled within one on four different occasions, ultimately tying the set at 15, but a kill by Jaloba kept the Lobos ahead. A 3-0 stretched a 17-16 Lobo lead to a 20-16 lead, with the Lobos remaining in control for the remainder of the set in the 25-19 win.
Guereca took over in the second set, accounting for 10 kills and hitting .526 (10-0-19).
UNM led from start to finish in the third set, scoring the first three points on a Zurlinden kill, a Nevada attack error and a Biassou kill, and led 6-4 through the first 10 points. Although Nevada closed to within one at 9-8, 10-9 and 11-10, the Lobos continued to find a way to keep the lead, eventually creating a four-point cushion at 16-12. The Wolf Pack attempted one late push to close the gap, getting within three at 21-18, but a Jaloba kill, Nevada attack error, Biassou kill and another attack error closed the match for the 25-18 win.
Guereca and Biassou bookended the match with four more kills apiece, while Zurlinden and Jaloba bookended the match with three kills apiece.
With the win, the Lobos improve to 14-7 on the season and 5-6 in the Mountain West. UNM closes the week at home with San José State on Saturday at 1 p.m.