USAFA, Colo.— The Lobo volleyball team forced a fifth set against Tuesday night at Air Force, but ultimately fell 15-9 for the 17-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19, 9-15 score.
Uxue Guereca produced another solid stat line with a balanced 19 kills (a match high) and 18 digs (a team high), with Kaitlynn Biassou joining her in double figures with 12 kills. Tuesday was the sixth-straight match of Guereca finishing in double figures in kills and the third straight for Biassou.
Melissa Walden added another double-double for the Lobos with 20 assists and 12 digs and Alena Moldan was the third UNM player in double-digit digs at 16 digs.
Lea Zurlinden led with seven total blocks, followed closely by Avital Jaloba’s six total blocks, two of which were solo, and Guereca with five.
Guereca opened the match with a kill, but the Falcons pushed out to a 10-2 lead. The Lobos used a 4-1 run to close the gap to five at 11-6 and again got within five at 15-10. However, Air Force responded with a 5-0 run to prevent UNM from getting any closer, with the Lobos dropping the first set 25-17.
UNM was the aggressor in the second set, getting out to a 10-4 lead behind a 5-0 run. Air Force got as close as 17-13, but New Mexico answered with a 4-0 run to stretch the lead to eight at 21-13. The Falcons fought off two set points before a service error gave UNM a 25-17 win to even the match.
After the Falcons scored the first three points of the third set, kills by Guereca and Zurlinden kept the set close. Trailing 8-4, the Lobos went on a 6-2 run to tie the set at 10 before Air Force went ahead 14-11. The Falcons’ lead stretched to 18-12 with the Lobos unable to get any closer than four at 19-15, dropping the set 25-19.
The fourth set mirrored the second set with the Lobos taking the early lead, getting out to a 10-5 advantage. New Mexico’s lead continued at 14-7, with the Lobos using a late 5-0 run to build a nine-point lead at 22-13. A Zurlinden and Guereca block provided set point at 24-14, and while the Falcons rallied to fight off four set points, a service error extended the match to five with a 25-18 Lobo set win.
UNM led early on in the final set, but a 3-0 Air Force run gave the Falcons a 7-5 lead that the home team never relinquished, using a 6-2 run to pull away at 13-7. Guereca added one more kill and the Lobos won another point on a service error before the match ended in a 15-9 decision.
The Lobos are now 14-9 on the season and 5-8 in the Mountain West. UNM remains on the road for its next match, set to face UNLV on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.