Alena Moldan and Kaitlynn Biassou Selected to MW All-Conference Team
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Senior outside hitter Kaitlynn Biassou and senior libero Alena Moldan were recognized on Wednesday by the Mountain West, with the Lobo co-captains selected by the conference coaches to the MW All-Conference Team.
This marks the third-straight postseason all-conference selection for Biassou, who was also named to the preseason all-conference team this season, and the first for Moldan. The Lobos have had at least one player named to the all-conference team in each season under head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, with two players being named to the team in the past two seasons.
Earning her first all-conference accolade, Moldan was one of the best liberos in the conference, finishing with 296 digs and 4.17 digs per set, ranking second in the conference in both categories. The Minnesota native recorded double-digit digs in all but two matches, finishing with 20 or more digs in five conference matches and recorded a career-high 32 digs in one.
She is responsible for the top-two dig totals in the conference this season with her 32 in the five-set match at Boise State and 28 digs in the five-set match at Nevada. Moldan also earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week following the wins at Colorado State and Wyoming after one of her best weeks of the conference season, with 38 digs (4.75 digs per set) on the week that included a team-high 20 against Wyoming and a match-high 18 against Colorado State.
Moldan accounted for 25.8 percent of UNM’s total digs in conference matches and led the Lobos in digs in 11 conference matches and tied for the team high in one.
Biassou finished the conference season among the best in the conference in kills and kills per set with 260 kills and 3.66 per set, second in the conference in number of kills and fourth in kills per set. In addition, the Nevada native recorded 302.5 points through the conference season, the second highest number among all players and third in points per set (4.26).
The senior tallied double-digit kills in 14 conference matches, including three matches of 20-plus kills and two matches with 26 kills (against Wyoming and at Nevada). She led the Lobos in kills in nine conference matches and tied for the team high in one. In the win at Utah State, Biassou hit .436 with 21 kills and had five matches hitting over .200. Biassou also finished with four double-doubles in MW matches and set career highs in total blocks (eight) and solo blocks (three) this season against conference opponents.
UNM opens up the Mountain West Championships on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. as the No. 5-seed against No. 4 Utah State. The match will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.