Lobos Take on Utah State and Nevada on the Road This Week

New Mexico Volleyball’s Mountain West road show continues this week with stops at Utah State (5-10, 2-3 MW) on Thursday and Nevada (8-8, 1-3 MW) on Saturday, with the Lobos (9-5, 2-2 MW) looking to pick up momentum after splitting the first two weeks of the conference schedule.

The Lobos began last week with a resilient five-set victory over Air Force (25-23, 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13) — their third five-set win of the season — before falling in three to Boise State on Saturday to drop to 2-2 in conference play. Despite the setback, the Lobos are one of five teams still tied for third in the MW standings with a chance to bounce back against Utah State on Thursday in Logan and Nevada on Saturday in Reno.

Last season, UNM went 2-0 against Nevada in a pair of five-set matches but went 0-2 against Utah State, falling in four at home before the Aggies dispatched them in straight sets in Logan. They’ve won three straight against the Wolfpack but are looking to snap a three-game skid against the Aggies.

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.

at Utah State (5-10, 2-3 MW)
Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. MT | Logan, Utah | Wayne Estes Center

at Nevada (8-8, 1-3 MW)
Oct. 12 | 1 p.m. MT | Reno, Nev. | Virginia Street Gym

ALL-TIME SERIES
• The Lobos lead the all-time series against both teams — they’re 14-17 against Utah State all-time and 19-3 against Nevada, with a 10-5 mark on the road against the Aggies and a 10-2 mark in Reno against the Wolfpack.
• UNM has won three in a row over Nevada but lost three in a row against Utah State — the Lobos are 9-1 in their last 10 matches against the Wolfpack and 5-5 against the Aggies in their last 10 meetings.
• Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar is 6-1 against Nevada and 4-4 against Utah State in his time at UNM.

LAST WEEK
• UNM went 1-1 against MW opponents for a second week in a row to head into Week Three with a 2-2 mark in conference play, outlasting Air Force in five on the road Tuesday before falling in straight sets at Boise State on Saturday.
• Lauryn Payne was a force at Air Force, matching a career-high with 23 kills for the second match in a row on a .302 hitting percentage (23-7-53). She followed that with 10 kills to lead the attack at Boise State — she’s now up to 206 kills on the season, averaging 3.36 kills per set.
• Kialah Jefferson recorded a season-high 22 kills at Air Force, adding 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. She added four more digs and nine kills at Boise State, totaling 184 kills for the year.
• The Lobos averaged 12.13 kills per set across both matches, hitting .147 as a team, with their best performance coming at Air Force where they hit .197. Against Boise State, the team struggled, hitting just .061.
• Madeleine Miller continued her strong start to conference play with a new career-high 54 assists against Air Force before producing 24 assists in three sets at Boise State. She has 220 assists in conference play, averaging 9.17 per set.
• Falanika Danielson shined defensively, collecting a season-high 27 digs in the win over Air Force. She added 10 digs at Boise State, bringing her total to 37 digs across the two matches (4.63 digs per set).
• The Lobos’ defense tallied 94 total digs against Air Force, the most since a five-set match against Nevada on September 23. At Boise State, they posted 45 digs in three sets.

TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

STIFLING EFFORT
The Lobos have held opponents below .200 hitting in seven matches total on the season – they’re 5-2 in those matches. They were riding a four-match streak of holding opponents below .200 heading into last week before UNLV hit .235 last Thursday and the Lobos allowed season-high .260 hitting from SDSU in Saturday’s five-set win. UNM bounced back with another sub-.200 defensive effort on Tuesday, holding Air Force to .170.
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 shouldered over half of the Lobos’ total attack attempts, accounting for 54% of their kills. This season, the offense has become more balanced, with three main attackers leading the charge. Lauryn Payne (3.36 kills/set), Kialah Jefferson (2.85 kills/set), and Jada Bouyer (1.93 kills/set) have combined for over 60% of the team’s kills (437 of 725).

• Kialah Jefferson continues to shine in her first season as a Lobo, already posting seven double-doubles while consistently delivering on both offense and defense. She has surpassed double-digit kills in nine matches and is averaging 2.85 kills and 2.70 digs per set. Jefferson’s versatility and consistency across all aspects of the game have earned her high praise from Coach Newman-Gonchar: “Kialah’s been awesome. She’s come a long way in managing big-time moments, and she does it all—whether it’s serving, blocking, defending, or hitting.”
• Lauryn Payne has emerged as a key offensive weapon for the Lobos, leading the team with 206 kills across 61 sets (3.38 kills/set). After recording only 76 kills in her first two seasons at UNM, Payne has posted double-digit kills in 11 of the team’s 15 matches this year. Payne’s recent surge includes a career-high 23 kills against Air Force, and she remains one of the team’s most consistent and high-volume attackers. “Lauryn has become a go-to for us, and that’s a big transformation from where she was a year ago,” Newman-Gonchar said. “Now, she’s a staple on the court, someone we rely on heavily.”
• Jada Bouyer, a Toledo transfer, is contributing at a high level with a .238 hitting percentage and 118 kills this season. She’s also a key presence at the net, leading all Lobo outside hitters with 33 total blocks (4 BS, 29 BA).

LOBOS ON THE BLOCK

• Elizabeth Woods, the team’s senior middle blocker and lone returning starter, continues to anchor the Lobos at the net. With a team-high 57 total blocks (10 BS, 47 BA) in 61 sets, she ranks among the MW leaders. Woods has posted five or more blocks in seven matches this season and has hit above .300 in nine matches. Her consistency has been a key part of UNM’s defense, and she’s added eight service aces to her repertoire after never attempting a serve in a collegiate match prior to this season.
• Liepa Lavickyte has been an important contributor since rejoining the starting lineup, tallying 37 total blocks (6 BS, 31 BA) in her last 33 sets. She’s finished with multiple blocks in eight straight matches and currently ranks seventh in the Mountain West with 1.12 blocks per set, solidifying her position as a critical part of UNM’s defense.

DANIELSON DIGGIN’ IT
Grad transfer Falanika Danielson has been a standout in the back row for the Lobos. After transferring from Temple, Danielson has anchored the defense, accumulating 260 digs at a rate of 4.26 digs per set. She’s led the team in digs in 12 of UNM last 13 matches and has reached double-digit digs in 13 matches this season, including three 20+ dig performances. Her efforts have earned her MW Defensive Player of the Week honors two weeks ago, and she currently ranks No. 1 in the Mountain West in digs per set heading into the Lobos’ upcoming matches.

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 STATS UDPATE
As of Oct. 8, UNM ranks among the Top 100 in NCAA Division I in four statistical categories:

• Digs per Set: 30th nationally (16.50)
• Team Attacks per Set: 36th nationally (37.04)
• Opponents’ Hitting Percentage: 106th nationally (0.190)
• Match Win-Loss Percentage: 91st nationally (0.643)

Within the Mountain West Conference, the Lobos rank in the Top Five in five categories:

• Digs per Set: 1st (16.50)
• Team Attacks per Set: 1st (37.04)
• Total Attacks: 3rd (2,074)
• Opponents’ Hitting Percentage: 4th (0.190)
• Match Win-Loss Percentage: 4th (0.643)​

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.