Lobos Set to Face UNLV, San Diego State on the Road

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Volleyball is set to face a Mountain West Preseason favorite for the second week in a row when the Lobos (10-5, 2-2 MW) hit the road to face UNLV (11-4, 3-1 MW) on Thursday and San Diego State (7-8, 2-2 MW) on Saturday.

The Lobos are fresh off a bounceback four-set win (25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 25-20) over Boise State on Saturday at the Johnson Center, where they came up with a season-high 16 block and held the Broncos to .109 hitting over the final two sets with 28 kills on .282 hitting themselves in that span. Their defense still ranks in the Top 10 in the nation in digs per set (No. 7, 17.33) and opponent hitting average (No. 10, .148), both of which lead the conference.

Head Coach 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 five seasons at the helm in Albuquerque.

UNM is in the hunt for a third consecutive winning season and MWC Tournament berth, going 17-12 overall and 8-10 in conference in 2022 en route to a fifth-place finish. 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.

NEW MEXICO (10-5, 2-2 MW) vs. UNLV (11-4, 3-1 MW) – Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. MT
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)

NEW MEXICO (10-5, 2-2 MW) vs. SAN DIEGO STATE (7-8, 2-2 MW) – Oct. 7, 2 p.m. MT
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNM is 18-30 against UNLV all-time, looking to snap a seven-match losing streak to the Rebels that dates back to 2019. Before that, they the Lobos had won three straight.
UNM is 24-44 against San Diego State all-time but has had better luck against the Aztecs recently — they have won three straight over SDSU, the last two of which at home. None of the last seven meetings between the two teams have gone to a fifth set.

BOUNCING BACK AGAINST THE BRONCOS
After dropping back-to-back matches for the first time this season on Thursday, the Lobos (10-5, 2-2 MW) got back to .500 in conference play by knocking off the final unbeaten team in the conference, holding the Broncos to .109 hitting over the final two sets with 28 kills on .282 hitting themselves in that span.
Uxue Guereca (19 kills, 17 digs) and Melissa Walden (36 assists, 13 digs) both finished with double-doubles and the Lobos posted a season-high 16 team blocks while holding the conference’s kills and points leader in Paige Bartsch to .081 hitting with 17 attack errors. UNM held the team that’s served up the most aces in the Mountain West this season to just three, matching that number with one each from Guereca, Dimitriadis and Giselle Groe.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING…
The Lobos rank No. 7 nationally in digs per set (17.33), in no small part thanks to the efforts of Angela Crosetti (4.54 digs per set), Uxue Guereca (3.24), Melissa Walden (2.78), Kali Wolf (2.36) and Kaitlynn Biassou (2.69). Crosetti ranks No. 51 nationally in that category.
UNM is holding opponents to .148 hitting, good for No. 10 nationally. They’re also No. 39 in the nation in blocks per set (2.52). Guereca ranks No. 46 in kills per set (3.94) and No. 63 in points per set (4.31) nationally. Elizabeth Woods is No. 26 in blocks per set (1.35).

RPI IS OUT
In the first official RPI rankings of the season, UNM clocked in at No. 168 with the Mountain West ranking No. 8 in terms of conference RPI. The Lobos are 1-1 against teams ranked in the RPI Top 100, with another chance for a Top-100 win against UNLV (No. 98) on Thursday.
San Diego State ranks No. 132 in the nation, one of five MW teams in the Top 150.

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 six home games (including three games at The Pit for the Lobo Invitational), the Lobos have averaged 917 fans in attendance per game, including over 1,100 fans at UNM’s three-set win over St. John’s on Sep. 1.
The Lobos are 3-0 this season in home games with over 1,000 fans in attendance.

MASTERFUL MIDDLES
Athina Dimitriadis and Elizabeth Woods came up big on the block against Boise State, combining for 10 of UNM’s season-high 16 blocks while helping hold Broncos star Paige Bartsch to .081 hitting and Boise State to .182 hitting as a team. Woods ranks No. 1 in the MW in blocks per set (1.73) in conference play and No. 2 overall (1.35) and the Lobos rank No. 1 in the league in opponent hitting percentage (1.48) as well as in team blocks per set (2.52).

EXPERIENCED ON THE OUTSIDES
Kaitlynn Biassou (2.84 kills/set, 2.69 digs/set) and Uxue Guereca (3.82 kills/set, 3.24 digs/set) have been instrumental to UNM’s performance so far this year.
So far this season, Guereca ranks No. 4 in the conference in kills per set while Biassou ranks No. 9 in service aces per set (0.34).
Biassou and Guereca rank third and fourth in their careers among active MW players in points per set, with 3.86 and 3.75 respectively. They’re also third and fourth in kills per set (3.29, 3.24).

WALDEN’S WORLD
In UNM’s Mountain West opener, Melissa Walden produced a career-high 52 assists to help UNM outlast Nevada, adding 17 digs and five kills for her team-leading eighth double-double of the season. She ranks No. 4 in the MW with a career-high 8.88 assists per set and ranks No. 5 in her career among active MW setters with 7.13 per set.
She’s finished with at least 35 assists in four of her last five matches and has put up a double-double in five of her last seven, leading the Lobos with nine double-doubles on the season.

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 been mainstays at UNM, starting every match so far. Crosetti has picked up more digs (245) than any other Lobo while producing 41 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 117 kills and 37 total 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. Amongactive 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.

STIFLING EFFORT
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). 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). The Lobos lead the league in both categories so far in 2023.

RECORD WATCH
With her first service ace of the match against Northern Arizona, Biassou notched her 100th ace of her career. She entered the program’s all-time Top 10 in service aces two weeks ago and is now No. 8 on the all-time list (106) and 14 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 1,463 after 19 last week, she’s 161 away from moving ahead of Chantale Riddle for the top spot with 14 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 1,717.5. She’s 192.5 from the top spot — also held by Riddle — and has scored at least 450 points in each of the last two seasons.