Lobo VB Opens Conference Play on the Road Thursday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Fresh off an undefeated week capped off by a third-straight sweep on Saturday, New Mexico Volleyball opens up Mountain West Conference play this week on the road with a pair of matchups against Nevada (4-7) and Fresno State (6-5) on Thursday and Saturday.

The Lobos (8-3) enter conference play with some momentum – they’ve won nine straight sets and four of their last five matches, holding their last nine opponents below .200 hitting. Their defense ranks No. 7 in the nation in digs per set (17.44) and No. 10 in opponent hitting percentage (.136), leading the Mountain West in both categories. Last week, they hit above .300 in sweeping Northern Arizona twice — once in Flagstaff last Wednesday and again in their Johnson Center opener on Friday.

NEW MEXICO (8-3) @ NEVADA (4-7) – Sep. 21, 7 p.m. MT
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)

NEW MEXICO (8-3) @ FRESNO STATE (6-5) – Sep. 23, 2 p.m. MT
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNM is 17-3 against Nevada all-time, having won 8 of the last 9 meetings and 10 of the 12 games in Reno. They split the season series last year, falling in a five-set battle in Reno before bouncing back with a straight-sets win less than two weeks later at the Johnson Center.
The Lobos are all knotted up all-time against Fresno at 17-17, but they’ve won 4 of the last 5 and three straight dating back to 2021. UNM swept both teams in their lasting meetings in 2022.

SWEEPING THE ‘JACKS
In a 2-0 home-and-home week against Northern Arizona — Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar’s alma mater — the Lobos swept the Lumberjacks twice while hitting above .300 in both games. The Lobos (8-3) are winners of nine straight sets and 13 of their last 17, holding each of their last eight opponents below .200 hitting. They’ve won 11 straight sets by at least five points.

BIG SHOWING IN JOHNSON
With 1,047 in attendance at the Johnson Center, Friday night’s matchup was the highest-attended Johnson Center Home Opener since 2015. The Lobos have seen an increase in attendance in each season since 2019 — not counting the 2020-21 season that limited attendance due to the COVID pandemic — and UNM’s average attendance of 841 per home game last season was its highest since 2016 (1,248) and highest of Newman-Gonchar’s tenure. Over UNM’s first four home games (including three games at The Pit for the Lobo Invitational), the Lobos have averaged 909 fans in attendance per game, including over 1,100 fans at UNM’s three-set win over St. John’s on Sep. 1.

With 1,047 fans in the house, last night’s match was the highest-attended Johnson Center Opener since 2015!

Thank you Lobo fans 🫶#GoBos pic.twitter.com/aXXxRFKYKJ

— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) September 16, 2023

STIFLING DEFENSE
Over the first four weeks of the season, the Lobos have held opponents to .136 hitting — the best opponent average in the Mountain West and the 10th-best in the nation. Over the last week, their .105 opponent average was the best among MWC teams, and they forced a conference-high 6.67 attack errors per set in that span while committing just 3.33 per set (20 total) themselves on .320 hitting.
The Lobos have yet to allow a team to hit above .300 against them — San Francisco (.248) was the only team to crack .200, with four opponents hitting below .100.
UNM held 16 opponents below a .200 hitting percentage last season, with one opponent (Portland State) below .100 (.089).
The Lobos also rank No. 7 nationally in digs per set (17.44), with Angela Crosetti ranking No. 27 in the nation in individual digs per set (4.88). As a team, UNM ranks No. 62 in the nation in blocks per set (2.39). Elizabeth Woods leads the Lobos and ranks No. 4 in the MW in blocks per set (1.19) and No. 71 nationally and has hit above .400 in two of her last three matches.
In 2022, UNM held opponents to a .187 hitting percentage, which ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West. In MW matches in 2022, UNM led the league in digs per set (16.14) and finished 2nd in opp. hitting % (.188).

NATIONALLY SPEAKING…
The Lobos rank No. 7 nationally in digs per set (17.44), in no small part thanks to the efforts of Angela Crosetti (4.88 digs per set), Uxue Guereca (3.00), Melissa Walden (2.78), Kali Wolf (2.37) and Kaitlynn Biassou (2.54). Crosetti ranks No. 27 nationally in that category.
UNM is holding opponents to .136 hitting, good for No. 10 nationally. They’re also No. 62 in the nation in blocks per set (2.39).|
Guereca ranks No. 47 in kills per set (3.97) and No. 55 in points per set (4.50) nationally. Elizabeth Woods is No. 71 in blocks per set (1.19).

K.B.’S FINAL TRIP HOME
Spark, Nev. native and grad senior Kaitlynn Biassou is making her final trip to her hometown on Thursday. In five matches against the Wolfpack in Reno in her career, she has averaged 4.57 kills per set and 19.2 kills a match, with double-digit kills in all five, 20+ kills in two and two double-doubles. UNM is 4-1 in those road matchups.
Last season, Biassou matched a career-high with 26 kills against the Wolfpack on .258 hitting, tallying 16 digs for a double-double. She’s cracked 20 kills in both of her last two matchups against UNR.

MASTERFUL MIDDLES
Athina Dimitriadis and Elizabeth Woods were uber-efficient in last week’s pair of routs, with Dimitriadis hitting .448 and Woods hitting .353 — the two best averages on the team over the past week — while combining for 23 kills and 13 of UNM’s 24 blocks. Woods ranks No. 4 in the MW in blocks per set (1.19) and No. 71 nationally, and has hit above .400 in two of her last three matches.
As a team, UNM ranks No. 62 in the nation in blocks per set (2.39).

EXPERIENCED ON THE OUTSIDE
Kaitlynn Biassou (2.88 kills/set, 2.54 digs/set) and Uxue Guereca (3.97 kills/set, 3.00 digs/set) have been instrumental to UNM’s performance so far this year.
So far this season, Guereca ranks No. 3 in the conference in kills per set (3.97) while Biassou ranks No. 4 in service aces per set (0.41).
Biassou and Guereca rank third and fourth in their careers among active MW players in points per set, with 3.88 and 3.74 respectively. They’re also third and fourth in kills per set (3.31, 3.23). 

WALDEN’S WORLD
Melissa Walden ranks No. 5 in the MW with a career-high 8.80 assists per set. She ranks No. 4 in her career among active MW setters with 6.98 per set. She’s recorded a team-high seven double-doubles so far this season, generating at least 40 assists in four matches and at least 30 in eight.
Last week, she finished with the second-most assists per set (11.00) in the conference, adding 5 kills, 22 digs and 4 blocks while hitting at a .267 clip. 

RISING EXPECTATIONS
Jon Newman-Gonchar’s Lobos are picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Coaches’ Poll – the highest they’ve been slated to finish in Newman-Gonchar’s four seasons at the helm in Albuquerque.
UNM is coming off its second consecutive winning season, going 17-12 overall and 8-10 in conference in 2022 en route to a fifth-place finish and the Lobos’ second straight MWC Tournament berth. Newman-Gonchar has posted a 62.7% win percentage over the last two seasons, with 20 wins in 2021 marking the most for the program since 2013.

A LOOK AT THE ROSTER
UNM’s nine returners combined for 70% of the Lobos’ total points last season, with 2022 All-MWC Outside Hitter Kaitlyn Biassou along with fellow 2022 starters Uxue Guereca (338 kills, 393.5 points) and Kali Wolf (228 kills, 276 points) highlighting the Lobos’ experience on the outside. The Lobos also added four freshmen and three impact grad transfers to offset the loss of middle blocker Avital Jaloba, libero Alena Moldan and setter Anilee Sher to graduation.

GUERECA NAMED MW OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After leading the conference in kills and points over New Mexico’s 2-1 weekend at the UND Classic, Uxue Guereca has been named the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sep. 4-10.
The Mexican national by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco led the Lobos in kills (48) and points (55.0) in all three matches over the weekend as UNM was named Tournament Champions for the third straight week, including a double-double with 19 kills, 10 digs and six blocks against North Dakota in Thursday’s tournament opener. After following that performance with another double-double (18 kills, 11 digs) against Montana on Friday, she’s up to four double-doubles on the season – 27 in her career – and cracked double-digit kills in seven matches. Guereca also led the conference in kills per set (4.36) and points per set (5.0) in that same span, coming up with 7 blocks and serving up a pair of aces in a sweep of Green Bay on Saturday. 

TERRIFIC TRANSFERS
Grad transfer middle blockers Athina Dimitriadis (692 kills and 215 blocks over four seasons at Hofstra and FIU) and Mattison Matthews (career .312 hitting % over four seasons at Virginia) both bolster the Lobos’ front line, while St. John’s transfer libero Angela Crosetti is playing a significant role in her first collegiate action since 2021. Dimitriadis has 313 set appearances to her name prior to her time in Albuquerque, with Matthews appearing in 192 over her time at Virginia.
Dimitriadis and Crosetti have appeared in every set so far for UNM. Crosetti has picked up 80 more digs (195) than any other Lobo while producing 35 assists and serving up 6 aces.
Dimitriadis was named to the All-Tournament Team at all three weekend tournaments the Lobos have taken part in — over 41 sets of action, she’s racked up 83 kills and 38 blocks.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST, BIASSOU
In her fifth and final season at UNM, Kaitlynn Biassou has continued to get better each year. This year, she sees the Lobos making a similar jump.
“This is the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here, and I’m super excited about our potential,” Biassou said. “We made it to the (MWC) tournament the last two years and lost in the first round both times. This year I want to get back and win the tournament. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Biassou put up career-high numbers for the third straight season in 2022, with 431 kills (3.68 per set) to go with 33 service aces and 504.5 points – all team-highs for UNM. The Reno, Nev. native ranked No. 4 in the Mountain West in kills and No. 3 in points per set (4.31) while also picking up 227 digs (1.94 per set) and tallying 75 total blocks.
On the season, she’s racked up 118 kills (2.88/set) as well as a team-high 17 aces, 104 digs and 25 block assists.
Among active MWC players, Biassou ranks No. 3 in kills per set (3.30) and points per set (3.86).
In MWC play last season, Biassou cracked double-digit kills in 14 out of 18 conference matchups, matching a career-high twice with 26 kills vs. Wyoming (Sep. 29) and at Nevada (Oct. 15). Those two performances were the third-highest total by a MWC player in a conference game last season, with her 31 points in that Wyoming match ranking as the most in a single game in MWC action. Additionally, Biassou’s 21 kills against Utah State (Sep. 24) ranked as the second-most in a three-set match.
Biassou is also a threat at the service line, with four matches with three or more service aces — including five against Abilene Christian — and eight matches with multiple aces in a match.  She’s served up 17 aces over 41 sets so far this season.

EXPERIENCE ALL OVER
A total of seven seniors (4 grad seniors, 1 redshirt, 2 true seniors) combined for 1,652 sets played entering the season — the most seniors Newman-Gonchar has ever had on a roster during his time at UNM.
Co-captains Kaitlynn Biassou, Kali Wolf and Uxue are the first trio to record at least 200 kills and 20 service aces each in the same season under Newman-Gonchar, and first since 2016. 

RECORD WATCH
With her first service ace of the match last Wednesday to make it 14-6 in the first set, Biassou notched her 100th ace of her career. She entered the program’s all-time Top 10 in service aces last weekend and is now 1 ace from moving up to No. 9  on the all-time list and 19 away from the No. 2 spot.
Earlier last season, Biassou became the 15th Lobo all-time to reach 1,000 career kills. Currently at No. 4 on the program’s all-time kills list at 1,416 after 25 last week, she’s 208 away from moving ahead of Chantale Riddle for the top spot with 18 matches left to play. Biassou joined the top-10 career points list against Nevada last season, and currently sits at No. 3 all-time with 1,662. She’s 248 from the top spot — also held by Riddle — and has scored at least 450 points in each of the last two seasons. 

LATE-NIGHT THRILLER IN IRVINE
UNM’s five-set comeback win over Irvine was the longest ever played in UCI’s Bren Events Center, going 3 hours and 10 minutes in total. Double-doubles from Uxue Guereca (20 kills, 20 digs), Kali Wolf (12 kills, 11 digs) and Melissa Walden (41 assists, 19 digs) led the way as the Lobos rallied from down 2-1, ripping off a 4-0 run down 12-11 in the final set with four straight kills – three from Dimitriadis – to seal the deal. Kaitlynn Biassou added 13 kills and 7 digs, serving up a pair of aces.

CROSETTI NAMED MW DEFENSIVE POTW
After a highly productive weekend in her first collegiate action since 2021, New Mexico Libero Angela Crosetti was named the first Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week for the 2023 season.
A grad transfer by way of St. John’s, Crosetti led the MW in total digs (68) and digs per set (5.67) after appearing in all 12 sets for the Lobos at the UCI Invitational, where they went 2-1 overall and finished as tournament champions. She also tallied 35 errorless receptions and generated 15 assists in the process.