Lobos' Rally Falls Short at NAU

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – New Mexico Volleyball stormed back to force a fifth set and threatened to pull off its second reverse sweep of the year after stumbling early in its road matchup with Northern Arizona (3-4) on Thursday night but came up short down the stretch in the Lobos’ second loss of the season.

Lauryn Payne, Jada Bouyer and Kialah Jefferson all notched double-digit kills for the second match in a row with 10 each, with Jefferson recording her third double-double of the season with 12 digs. Elizabeth Woods added seven more and Liepa Lavickyte and Naomi Chankoumi added three each.

Madeleine Miller also finished with a double-double – also her fourth of the season – recording 31 assists while picking up 12 digs. Madison Blanco served up three aces and Falanika Danielson added two more, with Danielson leading UNM with a season-high 22 digs and Blanco (11) and Giselle Groe (12) combining for 23 more.

The Lobos finished with 93 digs in total, the most in a single match since Sept. 21, 2023, a five-set road win over Nevada.

With their three-match win streak snapped, the Lobos drop to 5-2 on the season ahead of their second and final match of the weekend tomorrow – they’ll face Tarleton (0-6) in neutral-site action tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Tomorrow’s match won’t be streamed, but fans can follow live stats along with other matchday info at GoLobos.com/FollowVB. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for match coverage, promotional information, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.