Lobos Dispatch Aztecs in Four
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – New Mexico Volleyball dropped the first set of its Mountain West matchup with San Diego State on Saturday but took control in the second and didn’t look back en route to a four-set win (19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-9) that completes a 2-0 week for the Lobos (12-5, 4-2 MW).
The Lobos are now winners of three straight and nine of their last 11 sets, outscoring opponents by an average of 4.7 points per set in that span. They improve to 4-2 in conference, good for third place in the league standings behind Utah State and Boise State, both 5-1. UNM is one of four teams that went 2-0 in conference play this week along with Utah State, Wyoming and Boise State — the only one that did so on the road.
This is the first time UNM has beaten SDSU and UNLV in the same weekend since 2008, when the Lobos went a combined 4-0 against both.
FINAL | Lobos 3, Aztecs 1
Lobos win their fourth straight against SDSU to complete a 2-0 @MountainWest road trip! They’re winners of three straight and nine of their last 11 sets in MW play!
Biassou: 13 K (.300)
Guereca: 8 K, 13 D
Dimitriadis: 8 K (.636), 6 TB
Woods: 5 K, 6 TB pic.twitter.com/gQrQ2ekFhv— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) October 7, 2023
“A terrific response today — SDSU gave us all they had and we found ways to stay patient and win,” said UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar. “Proud of this team … Now we prepare to battle CSU and Wyoming – two teams that are red-hot and will demand our very best!”
UNM stumbled early with six attacking errors in Set One, but only committed five more as a team the rest of the match as the Lobo attack found its groove. The Lobos were held to .077 hitting in the first set but hit .253 the rest of the way, closing on a 12-3 run in a decisive fourth set for UNM’s largest margin of victory in a set so far this season (25-9).
The Lobos now return home to play host to Wyoming (13-4, 2-4 MW) on Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. and Colorado State (9-8, 3-3) on Oct. 14 at 1 p.m.
🏐 Highlights from @UNMLoboVB 3-1 Win over San Diego 🐺#AtThePeak | #MWVB | #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/AUVBMGWc9u
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) October 7, 2023
BY THE NUMBERS
Kaitlynn Biassou led a balanced Lobos effort that saw six players record at least three kills, finishing with 13 kills to go with two digs and a block assist oh .300 hitting. Athina Dimitriadis and Uxue Guereca both added eight kills each – Dimitriadis posted a match-high .636 hitting percentage to go with six total blocks and Guereca added three while serving up an ace and cracking double-digit digs for the eight straight match and 13th this season with 13. Elizabeth Woods added five kills and matched Dimitriadis’ six blocks and Lauryn Payne and Kali Wolf both connected on three kills each while combining for eight more blocks to round out the effort.
Giselle Groe led the Lobos in digs with 14 for the second match in a row – her first two collegiate starts – while serving up an ace.
Five different Lobos finished with at least three blocks and UNM outblocked the Aztecs 14-5 with just one blocking error, holding them to .115 hitting on the match. Payne’s five blocks were a career-high.
LOBO ROAD SHOW
UNM’s 2-0 week on the road brings them up to 6-1 in true road games this season — over the past week, the Lobo led the league in hitting (.288) while holding opponents to the second-best opponent average (.128) over the same span. UNM also finishes the week with the second-most blocks per set (2.86) and fifth-most aces per set (1.57) in that span.
ALL-TIME SERIES
UNM is 25-44 against San Diego State all-time, but has had better luck against the Aztecs recently – with today’s win, the Lobos are winners of four straight against SDSU, the last two of which prior at home. None of the last eight meetings between the two teams have gone to a fifth set.