Full 2024 Volleyball Schedule Unveiled
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups, the Lobos’ full schedule for the 2024 season is now complete, Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar announced on Thursday.
This year’s slate includes 13 home games at the Johnson Center, including this year’s Lobo Invitational, a multi-team event that will feature games between and against Tulane, North Dakota and UC Irvine Aug. 30-31. Last season, UNM had the highest average attendance at home volleyball games over a single season at the Johnson Center since 2016 (956), with the Lobos’ Senior Day matchup with Nevada last season becoming the highest-attended UNM VB home game since 2016. The Lobos have won at a .622 clip over the past three seasons and is 25-13 at home in that span.
It’ll also be the first season since 2019 that the Lobos square off with in-state rivals New Mexico State – they’ll play twice in the span of a week, with one match in Albuquerque (Sept. 17) and one in Las Cruces (Sept. 19). UNM is 17-12 against the Aggies at home.
The Lobos are seeking their fourth-straight winning season and Mountain West Tournament berth after breaking through with their first MW Tournament win since 2006 and first semifinals berth since 1999 last season. They led the conference in digs per set (15.58) and opponent hitting (.180) in 2023, finishing tied for fourth at the conclusion of the regular season – their best MW finish since 2015.
“The 2024 Schedule is going to test us each and every match in unique ways – we’re thrilled it came together the way it did,” said Newman-Gonchar. “We know this schedule will prepare us for the incredibly challenging 2024 Mountain West Conference slate. We can’t wait to see our Lobo nation out in full force this fall!”
Fans will get their first chance to see this years’ Lobos in action when they host D-II New Mexico Highlands in exhibition action on Aug. 23 at the Johnson Center. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for promotions, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
NONCONFERENCE
After the Lobo Invitational, UNM heads to Houston for more tournament action hosted by Houston Christian, facing UMKC (Sept. 5) and Howard (Sept. 6) in neutral-site matchups before taking on the Huskies on Sept. 7.
They’ll be in Flagstaff the following week for a true road match with Northern Arizona (Sept. 12) and their final neutral site game of the regular season against Tarleton (Sept. 13) before closing out the nonconference slate with a pair of matchups with New Mexico State.
MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY
Conference play will include an 18-match format with each MW team playing nine home contests and making nine road trips during league action. League play begins on Tuesday, Sept. 24, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 23.
Last year, Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar led UNM to its best finish since 2015 in MW play in 2023, finishing tied for fourth with a 10-8 mark in conference matchups.
The Lobos — who advanced to the Semifinals of the MW Tournament last season for the first time under Coach Newman-Gonchar — will being conference play at home with matchups against UNLV (Sep. 26) and San Diego State (Sep. 28) in the Johnson Center. UNM went 3-1 against the two teams last season, the Lobos’ best record against the two foes since 2008.
Next up, the Lobos are on the road for back-to-back weekends, heading to Air Force (Oct. 1) and Boise State (Oct. 5) before facing Utah State (Oct. 10) and Nevada (Oct. 12) the following week. UNM swept the season series with Boise State last season for the first time since 2014.
UNM returns home for three matchups, starting with San Jose State on Oct. 17 and Fresno State on Oct. 19, followed by UNM’s lone meeting this season with Colorado State on Oct. 24. Next up, the Lobos complete the week with their lone matchup with Wyoming (Oct. 26) before heading to Fresno State on Oct. 31 and rematching with San Jose on Nov. 2.
The Lobos’ longest home stretch of the season takes place from Nov. 7-14, with UNM hosting Nevada, Utah State, Air Force and Boise State in that span, with the matchup with the Broncos bring the final home game of the season at Johnson. The Lobos close out the season with the same two teams they started against — San Diego State and UNLV — on Nov. 21 and 23rd, respectively.
If they manage the qualify for the MW Tournament for a fourth consecutive year, they’ll be staying in Vegas again the following week. League play will determine the seeding for the 2024 MW Volleyball Championship, which will start Wednesday, Nov. 27, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 30, in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV Campus.