Lobos Stifle New Mexico State in Four in First Rivalry Matchup Since 2019

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With a raucous crowd of more than 1,300 fans in attendance at the Johnson Center for Homecoming Week, New Mexico (6-3) came away with a momentous four-set win (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21) over New Mexico State (4-5) Tuesday night in the first meeting between the in-state rivals on the volleyball court since 2019.

With the win, the Lobos snap a three-match losing streak to New Mexico State – it’s their first win over the Aggies since Oct. 16, 2016, another four-set victory at the Johnson Center. They’ll get a chance to defeat them in consecutive matches for the first time since 2014 when they square off for round two in Las Cruces on Thursday night.

“You know, I said it a couple days ago to my team and I said it to some people at the house, but the reality was that there is going to be a team that wins and a team that loses tonight,” said UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar. “The state of New Mexico wins tonight.”

“The fact that volleyball is growing, the fact that this environment was as electric as it was, is a testament to the fact that volleyball is growing in our state,” Newman-Gonchar said. “Volleyball is growing in our city and in our region, and I’m just thrilled to come out with a win, but I’m also just thrilled for the night that volleyball gets the center stage.”

UNM’s crowd of 1,387 tonight makes it the second-most highly attended match in the last eight seasons and sixth-most highly attended in the last decade. In Newman-Gonchar’s tenure at UNM, only last season’s senior day match against Nevada (1,589) has seen more fans packed into the Johnson Center.

The Lobos asserted control in the opening set after racing to a seven-point lead by the first media timeout and put the ball away at a .303 clip over the third and fourth sets to retake momentum after the Aggies tied things up at a set apiece behind a well-rounded attack that saw Lauryn Payne match a career-high with 16 kills while Kialah Jefferson (15) and Jada Bouyer (11) also hit double-digits. It’s the seventh time this season all three have posted double-digit kills in the same match and fifth in the last six matches.

Payne put away at least three kills in all four sets, with her and Jefferson both pouring in nine each over the final two sets to slam the door on an Aggies turnaround.

“Lauren’s become a go-to — and I think a year ago, we were struggling just to find ways to get her on the court,” said Newman-Gonchar. “Now she’s a staple on the court — she’s a high performer, high-volume level attacker, and just loved what she was doing. I love the fact that she didn’t back down in tough moments. She continued to get after it. Just really proud of her tonight.”

The Lobos hit .220 on the match while holding the Aggies to .188 hitting – the third consecutive match in which they’ve held their opponent below the .200 mark.

𝗪𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘??? 🐺🐺🐺#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/Ro0s1eETxI

— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) September 18, 2024

Falanika Danielson led the Lobos with a season-high 26 digs while Jefferson and Miller both notched their fifth double-doubles of the season – Madeleine Miller surpassed 40 assists for only the second time in her career, coming one away from her career-high with 41 to go with 15 digs, with Jefferson racking up 12 more.

“[Kialah]’s been awesome,” Newman-Gonchar said. “She’s going to get served a ton, she’s going to serve a ton, she’s going to have to defend, she’s going to have to block, she’s going to have to hit — she does it all.

“And that’s why we’re really proud of her, because she’s come a long way in her game in managing those big-time moments.”

UP NEXT
Thursday’s rematch with the Aggies on the road is set for a 6 p.m. MT first serve and will be streamed via ESPN+, with live stats and other matchday info at GoLobos.com/FollowVB. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for match coverage, promotional information, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.