Lobos Host UNLV, SDSU This Week to Open Conference Slate

Fresh off an emphatic 2-0 rivalry week to close out the nonconference portion of its 2024 schedule, New Mexico Volleyball will look to keep riding the momentum in front of the home crowd when the Lobos (7-3) host UNLV (7-4) on Thursday and San Diego State (8-2) on Saturday at the Johnson Center to open up Mountain West play.

The Lobos got the bounceback they needed at just the right time after an uncharacteristic 0-2 showing at the Lumberjack Classic in Flagstaff the weekend prior, fending off in-state rival New Mexico State in four at home on Tuesday (25-19,20-25,25-23,25-21) in their first meeting since 2019 before slamming the door with a runaway straight-sets win on the road in Las Cruces (25-19,25-21,25-13) on Thursday. It’s the first time the Lobos are winners of two straight against the Aggies since 2014, and the first time beating them multiple times in the same season since 1990.

“Extremely proud of this team’s fight,” said UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, who remained undefeated against the Aggies with the win. “We talked about showing up and bringing our best selves to each and every point — showing up is indeed what this team did.”

Having won at least seven of their first 10 matches for the fourth season in a row, UNM begins conference action with the fourth-best win percentage (.700) among MW teams. Even with six new starters from last year’s MW Semifinalist team, the Lobos have been able to find a rhythm with a similar formula — stifling opponents’ attackers at the net and extending rallies. Through four weeks of play, the Lobos are leading the league in digs — and rank among the Top 75 in NCAA D-I in that category — for the third season in a row. They’ve held four opponents in a row below .200 hitting on the match and have outblocked opponents 61-42 over the past three weeks.

UNM — picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll — will open with UNLV and San Diego State — picked to finish 5th and 7th, respectively — a traditionally challenging pair of weekend matchups. The Lobos went 4-1 against the two teams last season, but it was the only the fifth time in program history that they defeated both in the same weekend, home or away.

Both matches will be streamed via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/Watch, with live stats and all other matchday essentials available at GoLobos.com/FollowVB. Follow @UNMLoboVB on IG, X and Facebook for match coverage, promotional information, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.

vs. UNLV (7-4)
September 26 | 6:30 p.m. MT | Albuquerque, N.M. | Johnson Center

vs. San Diego State (8-2)
September 28 | 1 p.m. MT | Albuquerque, N.M. | Johnson Center

ALL-TIME SERIES

• UNM is 20-31 against UNLV all-time, snapping a seven-match losing streak to the Rebels that dated back to 2019 with their sweep of the Rebels in Vegas on Oct. 5. The Lobos fell to the Rebels in four sets in their next meeting at the Johnson Center on Oct. 28 but had the last laugh at the MW Tournament in Vegas after defeating them in five sets to reach the conference semis.
• The Lobos are 25-44 against San Diego State all-time but have had better luck against the Aztecs recently — they’ve won five straight over SDSU, three of which were at home. None of the last nine meetings between the two teams have gone to a fifth set.
• The Lobos went 4-1 against SDSU and UNLV last season – when UNM defeated both teams on the road in the same week in October, it was the first time they’d done so since 2010.
• UNM is winner of five in a row against the Aztecs but lost eight in a row before that. The Lobos have won two of the last three but lost nine in a row prior to that.

LAST WEEK

• After going 0-2 the week prior, the Lobos got the bounceback they needed to wrap up their nonconference with a momentous home-and-away sweep of in-state rival New Mexico State (6-6).
• UNM led the league in opponent hitting % (.102) and digs per set (16.00) 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 (25-19,20-25,25-23,25-21) before an emphatic straight-sets win on the road in Las Cruces (25-19,25-21,25-13).
• The Lobos averaged 11.43 kills per set and hit .222 across both matches, coming up with 2.86 blocks per set – the second-most in the conference in that span. They outblocked the Aggies 15-4 in Thursday’s match, a team season-high and the most blocks in a single match since Sept. 30, 2023 against Boise State (16). That match against the Broncos was the only time the Lobos put up more than 15 blocks last season.
• 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. It was only the fourth time in program history that the Lobos swept the Aggies 3-0 in Las Cruces.
• Tuesday’s game saw 1,387 total fans in attendance – the second-most for a single home match since 2016 and 6^th-most in the last decade.

KEY PEFORMERS

• Lauryn Payne: Led the team with 25 kills and 6 blocks across both matches, hitting .177 in that span.
• Kialah Jefferson: Posted 22 kills, 20 digs, and added 3 aces – the last two came back-to-back in the third set against the Aggies on Thursday as the Lobos put them away for good, 25-13.
• Elizabeth Woods: Notched 13 kills and 7 total blocks, hitting a team-high .462.
• Madeleine Miller: Dished out 63 assists with 21 digs.
• Falanika Danielson: Led the defense in digs in both matches with 40 total, averaging a conference-leading 5.71 digs per set to earn Defensive POTW honors.
• Liepa Lavickyte: Finished the week with 10 total blocks, with eight of which coming on Thursday as the Lobos outblocked the Aggies 15-4.

DANIELSON NAMED MW DEFENSIVE POTW
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 took home three conference weekly honors last season.
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 and finished the week with a .818 reception percentage.

STIFLING EFFORT
The Lobos have held opponents below .200 hitting in each of their last four matches and have done so in six matches total on the season – they’re 4-2 in those matches. Last week, they held New Mexico State to .102 hitting across seven sets, holding them to season-low -.028 hitting in Thursday’s sweep.

Only six of the Lobos’ opponents hit above .200 and only two hit above .300 on the season against UNM in 2023 — UNM finished the season with an 18-5 record in matches in which opponents fail to surpass .200 and were 4-0 when held below the .100 mark.

THREE-HEADED ATTACK
Last season, UNM’s All-Mountain West outside hitter duo of Kaitlynn Biassou (24.5%) and Uxue Guereca (26.8%) combined for just over half of the Lobos’ total attack attempts and 54% of their kills (775/1,435). Through 39 sets across 10 matches this season, they’ve diversified their attack with Lauryn Payne (3.00 kills/set), Kialah Jefferson (2.97 kills/set), and Jada Bouyer (2.38 kills/set), who have combined for 62.7% of the team’s kills (303/483).

• Jefferson has posted five double-doubles this season and has surpassed double-digit kills six times – the senior transfer is producing 3.00 kills per set and 2.97 digs per set in her first season as a Lobo after averaging career-highs in kills (2.83/set) and digs (2.91/set) last year at VCU.
• After recording 76 kills over 119 sets of action (0.638 kills/set) in her first two seasons at UNM, Lauryn Payne has excelled with more touches – she’s already posted a team-leading 110 kills in 39 sets so far this season (2.97 kills/set). After not surpassing double-digit kills once in her first 44 matches from 2022-23, Payne has done so seven times through her first 10 this season, including a career-high 16 against Tulane in UNM’s season opener on Aug. 30 that she matched on Tuesday.
• Toledo grad transfer Jada Bouyer is hitting for a .259 average on the season, the third-best average on the team overall and the best of any Lobo with 200 or more attempts. She’s also been the Lobos’ most prolific outside hitter at the net, coming up with 22 total blocks (2 BS/20 BA) to rank third on the team.

LOBOS ON THE BLOCK

• Senior middle Elizabeth Woods – the lone returning starter from last year’s team – has racked up a team-high 40 total blocks (8 BS/32 BA) across 39 sets in UNM’s first 10 matches. She had exactly the same amount 10 matches into the 2023 season (38 sets).
• Woods has finished with five or more block assists and block solos combined in six matches so far, hitting above .300 in seven – five of which have been in UNM’s last six matches. She’s picked up multiple blocks in all but one match so far.
• Prior to UNM’s season opener against Tulane, Woods had never attempted a serve in a collegiate match – this season, she’s served up six aces (0.26 per set). She’s hit above .300 on 13 or more attempts in five matches this season and finished with six or more kills in six.
• After getting back into the starting lineup for the first time since UNM’s season opener against Tarleton on Sept. 13, Liepa Lavickyte has come up with 14 total blocks (2 BS/12 BA) in her last nine sets played. She’s now finished with multiple blocks in each of her last six match appearances and ranks fifth in the MW with 1.24 blocks per set – she also currently ranks fifth among MW active leaders.

DANIELSON DIGGIN’ IT
Grad transfer Falanika Danielson has been pivotal in the back row at the libero spot for the Lobos after coming to UNM by way of Temple over the summer, earning All-Tournament Team honors for both the Lobo Invitational and the HCU Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament for her efforts before being named MW Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
She’s led the team in digs in seven straight matches and surpassed double-digit digs in eight, accumulating 161 digs at an impressive rate of 4.13 digs per set​. She ranks No. 3 in the MW in both total digs and digs per set.
Danielson has also posted eight service aces so far this season, averaging 0.25 aces per set — her highest average since the 2020-21 season at Temple (0.34/s).

JOHNSON CENTER IS BOOMING
The Lobos have seen an increase in attendance in each season since 2019 — not counting the 2020-21 season that limited attendance due to the COVID pandemic — and UNM’s average attendance of 841 per home game last season was its highest since 2016 (1,248) and highest of Newman-Gonchar’s tenure. Saturday’s Senior Day brought in 1,589 fans to the Johnson Center – the highest-attended Lobo Volleyball game of the season. In 2023 overall (including three games at The Pit), the Lobos’ average of 956 fans per game is the highest since 2016 – including seven games with over 1,000 in attendance.

Through four home matches so far this season, UNM’s averaged 852 fans a match, including 1,387 in attendance on Tuesday against New Mexico State. Tuesday’s grand total of 1,387 fans was the second-most in the last eight seasons and sixth-most in the last decade.

NCAA/CONFERENCE STAT RANKINGS
The Lobos rank among the Top 100 in NCAA D-I in three statistical categories:

• Digs per Set: 34th nationally (16.46/set)
• Total Attacks per Set: 60th nationally (36.15)
• Opponent Hitting Percentage: 76th nationally (0.177)
• Blocks per Set: 119th nationally (2.23)

They rank among the Top Five in the Mountain West in six:

• Digs per Set: 1st (16.46)
• Total Team Digs: 2nd (642)
• Total Attacks per Set: 1st (36.15)
• Team Digs: 2nd (642)
• Opponent Hitting Percentage: 3rd (0.177)
• Blocks per Set: 5th (2.23)
• Match Win-Loss Percentage: 4th (0.700)

Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar’s Lobos are coming off their third-straight winning season and Mountain West Tournament appearance, most recently breaking through with a run to the conference semis after finishing the season tied for fourth in the standings – their best finish since 2015. UNM’s five-set win over host UNLV in the First Round of last year’s conference tournament was the Lobos’ first semifinals appearance under the current format as well as their first win in the conference tournament since 2006.

UNM has elevated to another level of consistency in the past three seasons under Newman-Gonchar, winning 62.2% of its matches overall and 53.7% in conference matchups, with a 25-13 (.658) record at home in that span. Finishing 2023 at 19-12 overall and 10-8 in MW play, Newman-Gonchar moved up to No. 3 among UNM coaches (tenured five or more seasons) in winning percentage (.530) and No. 2 in conference win percentage (.453) since the Lobos joined the Mountain West.

In 2023, the Lobos led the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.180) and digs (1,823 total; 15.58 per set) while ranking second in blocks (286 total; 2.44 per set), making it back-to-back years in which they pace the MW in opponent hitting and digs. They swept the season series with Boise State for the first time since 2014 and went 3-1 against UNLV and San Diego State, beating them both on the road in the same week for the first time since 2008.

Senior outside hitters Uxue Guereca and Kaitlynn Biassou were both named MW All-Conference at the conclusion of the regular season, with Guereca earning All-MW Tournament honors as well. The Lobos earned six nonconference all-tournament team selections with three MW Players of the Week.

This time around, the Lobos will be looking to repeat their success without five of last year’s starters, bringing in a variety of experienced transfers to bolster a group of returners with expanded roles.

UNM’s new-look roster features 11 newcomers and six returners – Woods (107 sets played in 2023) and sophomore Libero Giselle Groe (75 sets played) both return after becoming pivotal rotation pieces in 2023.

Among six transfers joining the Lobos for the 2024 season, four already have three or more seasons of D-I experience under their belts:

• Senior outside hitters Jada Bouyer (Toledo) and Kialah Jefferson (VCU) bring 576 combined set appearances to Albuquerque, coming off a 2023 season in which Bouyer racked up 286 kills to go with 71 total blocks and Jefferson finished with 280 kills and 294 digs. 
• Senior setter Sohila Wafeek (UIC) finished her four-year UIC career ranked ninth in program history in assists (3,047) and averaged 8.28 assists per set in 368 set appearances there.
• An 2020 AAC Libero of the Year during her time at Temple, Falanika Danielson joins the Lobos as a fifth-year transfer with 408 set appearances across 108 matches under her belt – she averaged 3.71 digs per set (1,471 total) across four seasons of play at Temple.
• They’ll be joined by junior transfer Naomi Chankoumi – who accumulated 250 kills across 121 sets in two seasons at CSU Bakersfield – as well as redshirt sophomore middle and Norwegian national Liepa Levickyte (Oregon State).

Alongside them, returning letterwinners Lauryn Payne, Madison Blanco and Angela Crosetti all look to play bigger roles this fall, with five true freshmen giving the Lobos depth all over the court.