University of New Mexico Lobos athletics
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Falanika Danielson Named MW Defensive POTW

by Connor Gilbert

After a week in which she led the league in digs while holding it down in the back row over a 2-0 rivalry week for New Mexico Volleyball, Falanika Danielson has been named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.

It’s the first weekly award of the season for the Lobos, who wrap up nonconference play with a 7-3 record.

UNM led the league in opponent hitting % and digs per set this week en route to two victories over in-state rival New Mexico State twice in the span of 72 hours, fending them off in four at home on Tuesday before an emphatic straight-sets win on the road in Las Cruces. Prior to Tuesday, the two teams hadn’t faced each other since 2019 – UNM hadn’t beaten NMSU in back-to-back matches since 2014 and hadn’t done so multiple times in the same season since 1990.

UNM held NMSU to a .102 hitting percentage across seven sets of action in large part thanks to Danielson’s work in the back row – the grad transfer libero averaged 5.71 digs per set, the most in the MW this week and nearly a dig per set more than the next player.

Danielson finished with a season-high 26 digs on Tuesday and picked up 14 more on Thursday, leading UNM in both matches – she also added four assists and a service ace across both matches while appearing in all seven sets as Libero.

UP NEXT
The Lobos (7-3) open Mountain West play this week with a pair of matches at Johnson Center, hosting UNLV on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) and San Diego State on Saturday (1 p.m.). Both matches will be streamed via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/Watch – find all other matchday essentials and live stats links via GoLobos.com/FollowVB. Follow @UNMLoboVB on IG, X and Facebook for match coverage, promotional information, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.