Lobos Head to Air Force for MW Tuesday Night Block Party Matchup

After splitting the first two matches of Mountain West play at home, New Mexico Volleyball (8-4, 1-1 MW) heads north for a midweek matchup at Air Force (2-11, 1-1 MW) as part of this week’s MW Tuesday Night Block Party.

The Lobos fell in four to UNLV on Thursday (22-25, 17-25, 25-22, 16-25) before narrowly avoiding an 0-2 week with a dramatic last-gasp turnaround against San Diego State on Saturday (25-22, 27-25, 24-26, 14-25, 16-14), ripping off a 9-0 run to come all the way back from down 14-7 at match point in the fifth and send the Aztecs home empty handed. 

“We battled to the very end and that’s exactly what I expect our team to do,” said UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, who improved to 6-2 against the Aztecs with the Lobos’ sixth-straight win over SDSU. “Some days are going to come up short … some days we’re going to come up on the right side of it – And today we came up on the right side.”

The Lobos weren’t alone in a chaotic first week of conference play that saw only two teams — Colorado State and San Jose State — go 2-0. Heading into week two, they’re one of seven teams tied for third behind the Rams and Spartans in the MW Standings at 1-1.

UNM’s attention now turns to the Falcons, who they’ll face tomorrow to kick off the week before heading to Boise State for a conference matchup on Saturday. The Lobos went 3-0 against both last season, sweeping Air Force at home in their lone meeting before sweeping the season series with the Broncos in Albuquerque and Boise.

Tuesday’s match 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.

at Air Force (2-11, 1-1 MW)
Oct. 1 | 6 p.m. MT | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Cadet East Gym

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Lobos have dominated the all-time series against Air Force 44-7, But the Falcons have picked up four of those wins since 2017. UNM has won 7 of the last 10 against the Falcons and are 20-2 at home against them – the Lobos haven’t lost to AFA at home since 2019 and are 6-3 against them under Coach Newman-Gonchar and 3-1 at home.
• Tuesday will be the first meeting between the two teams at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs since 2022, when the Lobos fell in five sets. UNM is 20-5 against AFA on the road.

LAST WEEK

• After splitting their two home matches, the Lobos are 1-1 in Mountain West play – New Mexico dropped its opener against UNLV in four sets (1-3) on Thursday but rebounded with a hard-fought five-set victory over San Diego State (3-2) on Saturday that saw them close on a 9-0 run to sweep the rug from under the Aztecs in the fifth.
• Lauryn Payne led the Lobos’ offense across the two matches while setting a new career-high in kills twice – first with 17 against UNLV before following with 23 against SDSU – the most in a single match by a Lobo this season and the most of any MW player last week. Payne finished the week with the second-most kills per set (4.44) and third-most points per set (4.67) in the conference.
• The Lobos averaged 12.78 kills per set and hit .174 in the two matches but hit .214 in the win over SDSU​.
• UNM’s blocking was key in their win over the Aztecs, recording 9 total blocks, including 4 from Liepa Lavickyte, who leads the team in blocks per set this season. Lavickyte recorded a career-high six kills on 10 attempts with no errors on Saturday while leading UNM with seven block assists.
• Madeleine Miller dished out 79 assists across both matches, including a career-high 48 on Saturday while recording her team-leading seventh double-double of the season.
• Falanika Danielson anchored the defense with 35 digs, good for 3.89 digs per set​ — UNM averaged 15.89 digs per set and out-dug San Diego State 77-68 and still lead the league in digs per set (16.35) heading into week two.

STIFLING EFFORT
The Lobos have held opponents below .200 hitting in six matches total on the season – they’re 4-2 in those matches. They were riding a four-match streak of holding opponents below .200 heading into last week, with UNLV hitting .235 before UNM allowed a season-high .260 hitting from SDSU in Saturday’s five-set win.
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 holding opponents below the .100 mark.

THREE-HEADED ATTACK
Last season, UNM’s All-Mountain West outside hitter duo of Kaitlynn Biassou and Uxue Guereca combined for just over half of the Lobos’ total attack attempts and 54% of their kills (775/1,435). Through 48 sets across 12 matches this season, they’ve diversified their attack with Lauryn Payne (3.26 kills/set), Kialah Jefferson (2.73 kills/set), and Jada Bouyer (2.50 kills/set), who have combined for 63.9% of the team’s kills (385/598).

• Jefferson has posted six double-doubles this season and has surpassed double-digit kills six times – the senior transfer is producing 2.73 kills per set and 2.91 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​.
  • “[Kialah]’s been awesome,” Coach 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.”
• 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 150 kills in 46 sets so far this season (3.26 kills/set). After not surpassing double-digit kills once in her first 44 matches from 2022-23, Payne has done so nine times through her first 12 this season, including a career-high 23 against San Diego State on Sept. 28​.
  • “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 Coach Newman-Gonchar. “Now she’s a staple on the court — she’s a high performer, high-volume level attacker.”
• Toledo grad transfer Jada Bouyer is hitting for a .267 average on the season, the second-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 25 total blocks (3 BS/22 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 46 total blocks (9 BS/37 BA) across 48 sets in UNM’s first 12 matches.
• Woods has finished with five or more block assists and block solos combined in six matches so far, hitting above .300 in eight – six of which have been in UNM’s last seven 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 eight aces (0.17 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 nine matches​.
• 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 34 total blocks (5 BS/29 BA) in her last 28 sets played. She’s now finished with multiple blocks in each of her last seven match appearances and ranks fifth in the MW with 1.21 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 last week. She’s led the team in digs in nine of her last 10 matches and surpassed double-digit digs in ten, accumulating 196 digs at an impressive rate of 4.08 digs per set. She ranks No. 4 in the MW in both total digs and digs per set​

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 six home matches so far this season, UNM’s averaged 861 fans a match, including a season-high 1,387 in attendance on Tuesday against New Mexico State — the second-most attended Lobo Volleyball match in the last eight seasons and sixth-most in the last decade.

NCAA/CONFERENCE STAT RANKINGS
Over the last week, the Lobos ranked among the Top 100 in NCAA D-I in seven statistical categories:

• Digs per Set: 84th nationally (15.89/set)
• Total Attacks per Set: 36th nationally (39.67)
• Team Kills: 50th nationally (115)
• Team Digs: 33rd nationally (143)
• Team Assists: 73rd nationally (101)
• Team Total Attacks: 12th nationally (357)
• Team Total Blocks: 99th nationally (17.0)

On the season as a whole, UNM ranks among the Top 100 in NCAA D-I in four statistical categories:

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.