Lobos Fall to San Francisco in Four Sets
IRVINE, Calif. — Despite a resurgent set three that gave the Lobos momentum heading into the back stretch, New Mexico Volleyball fell to San Francisco in four sets (20-25, 15-25, 25-18, 19-25) on day two at the adidas/UCI Invitational Saturday afternoon.
The Lobos (2-1) return to Albuquerque to play host to St. John’s, Utah Tech and Cal State Bakersfield at the Lobo Invitational at The Pit Aug. 31-Sep. 2.
BY THE NUMBERS
For the second game in a row, Uxue Guereca (22 kills, 19 digs) registered a double-double with team-high kills to lead the Lobos, with Kaitlynn Biassou (12 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace) recording a double-double of her own and Athina Dimitriadis adding 10 kills along with three service aces. Guereca’s .408 hitting average was a team-high in her 31st career double-double.
In her first appearance in a Lobo uniform, grad transfer middle Mattison Matthews connected on three kills without an error (.250%) while coming up with a team-high six block assists.
Melissa Walden (44 assists) generated at least 30 assists for the third game in a row, adding 12 digs to become the third Lobo to record a double-double. Angela Crosetti corralled a team-high 29 digs while adding three more assists.
THE ACTION
Despite a 2-0 start that included a kill from Woods on the first rally followed by an ace from Guereca, the Lobos couldn’t find much separation in the first set despite holding onto a narrow lead. They hit .179 in that span with a game-high 17 kills while finally pulling away for a 23-20 lead after an ace from Biassou. But with UNM within two points of an early one-set advantage, the Dons responded with a late 5-0 run to surge ahead late.
USF recorded game-high .341 hitting with 19 kills en route to another set win in round two, jumping out to an early 15-10 lead and going ahead by as much as seven at set point before stifling a four-point swing from the Lobos with a kill.
Needing a set win to stay alive, UNM set the tone immediately with a 7-0 run that included three consecutive service aces from Dimitriadis. That lead extended to 11-1 after Guereca’s 12th kill of the day followed by a pair of blocks from Biassou and Matthews, and the Lobos didn’t look back. The Dons couldn’t cut the deficit any closer than five as UNM held them to a match-low .089 hitting, with kills from Guereca and Lauryn Payne finishing off the set to give the Lobos some life heading into a do-or-die fourth.
Looking to keep UNM’s rally from advancing any further, USF started off the fourth set with a 3-0 run before the Lobos responded with four straight of their own – all kills, with two from Guereca and one apiece from Dimitriadis and Walden. Neither team led by more than three until the Dons ripped off a 6-2 run to close out that handed UNM its first loss of the season.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE GAME
UNM returns home next weekend, playing host to Cal State Bakersfield, St. John’s and Utah Tech as part of the Lobo Invitational Aug. 31-Sep. 2. All matches – including neutral site matchups – will be streamed, with live stats available via golobos.com/vbstats. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for scores, highlights, gameday content and more.