Lobos Host San Jose State, Fresno State This Week in MW Action

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Volleyball returns home to continue Mountain West play at the Johnson Center this week, with the Lobos hosting San Jose State (9-3, 4-3 MW) on Thursday and Fresno State (8-9, 4-2 MW) on Saturday.

The Lobos dropped to 2-4 in MW play after they were sunk in four sets by late rallies from Utah State and Nevada last week — they led 24-19 in the fourth on Thursday before the Aggies closed on a 7-0 run to retake control and led 22-19 in the fourth on Saturday before the Wolfpack responded with six straight to win in similar fashion. After a week in which all but two Mountain West teams lost at least one match, they’ll get a chance to snap a three-match losing streak against second-place Fresno (4-2 MW) and third-place San Jose (4-3 MW) this week at the Johnson Center.

Even after an 0-2 week, the Lobos are among the best in the Mountain West at keeping rallies going — UNM has held opponents to .184 hitting in their last two weeks of conference play and enter the week ranked in the Top 100 in the nation in digs per set (48th, 16.05), blocks per set (79th, 2.37) and opponent hitting (96th, .189). They’re leading the Mountain West in digs per set for a third consecutive season.

In 2023, UNM defeated SJSU in their lone meeting on the road — snapping a four-match losing streak to the Spartans in the process — but fell to the Bulldogs in four sets both at home and on the road. The Lobos are 1-4 against San Jose in Coach Newman-Gonchar’s tenure and 17-11 against the Spartans all-time, with a 17-19 record all-time against the Bulldogs and a 3-3 record under Coach Newman-Gonchar.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
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. San Jose State (9-3, 4-3 MW)
Oct. 17 | 6:30 p.m. MT | Albuquerque, N.M. | Johnson Center

vs. Fresno State (8-9, 4-2 MW)
Oct. 19 | 1 p.m. MT | Albuquerque, N.M. | Johnson Center

ALL-TIME SERIES
• The Lobos are 1-4 against San Jose in Coach Newman-Gonchar’s tenure and 17-11 against the Spartans all-time, with a 17-19 record all-time against the Bulldogs and a 3-3 record under Coach Newman-Gonchar.
• They’ve won four of the last 10 meetings with both teams, but the lead the all-time series against both in matches at home — they’re 10-5 against Fresno and 7-4 against SJSU in Albuqerque.
In 2023, UNM defeated SJSU in their lone meeting on the road — snapping a four-match losing streak to the Spartans in the process — but fell to the Bulldogs in four sets both at home and on the road. UNM’s win over the Spartans was the Lobos’ first since 2019 as well as their first win over SJSU on the road since 2015. UNM’s loss to the Bulldogs last October snapped a three-match win streak against them.

LAST WEEK
The Lobos fell to 2-4 in Mountain West play after a pair of hard-fought four-set losses on the road to Utah State and Nevada. Despite holding late leads in the fourth set of both matches, New Mexico was downed by late runs that extended their losing streak to three matches.

• Lauryn Payne had another standout week, leading the Lobos with 24 total kills (3.00 kills/set) — she’s now up to 230 kills on the season, averaging 3.34 kills per set.
• Kialah Jefferson continued her strong all-around play, recording 24 kills (3.00 kills/set) and 22 digs (2.75 digs/set) in the two matches while recording her eighth and ninth double-doubles of the season. Jefferson also added a total of 8 blocks to go with six assists and a service ace.
• The Lobos averaged 12.50 kills per set and hit .174 as a team last week, with their best performance coming against Nevada where they hit .188 on the match. Defensively, New Mexico posted a season-high 4.44 blocks per set, with Elizabeth Woods leading the way with 17 block assists across the two matches.
• Jada Bouyer was dominant down the stretch on Saturday in Reno, putting away 11 of UNM’s 24 kills over the final two sets with just one error in that span. In the fourth set alone, she connected on seven of UNM’s 13 kills on .538 hitting without a single attack error to go with five block assists. She finished with a team-high 15 kills on the day.
• Madeleine Miller tallied 70 assists across the eight sets (8.75 assists/set), while also contributing 11 digs and 7 total blocks.
• Falanika Danielson led the Lobos’ defense in the back row with 27 total digs (3.38 digs per set), continuing her streak of double-digit digs in every match this season. She also added 5 service aces, bringing her season total to 27 aces.

THURSDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

STIFLING EFFORT
After holding opponents to .184 hitting on aggregate in their last four matches, the Lobos moved up into the Top 100 in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.189) — they rank 95th heading into this week while ranking 48th in the nation in digs per set and 79th in blocks per set.
The Lobos have held opponents below .200 hitting in eight matches total on the season – they’re 5-3 in those matches. They were riding a four-match streak of holding opponents below .200 heading into Mountain West play before UNLV hit .235  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 in their next match against Air Force (.170) and held Nevada to .166 hitting on Saturday.
Only six of UNM’s opponents hit above .200 and only two hit above .300 on the season against them 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 (3.34 kills/set), Kialah Jefferson (2.83 kills/set), and Jada Bouyer (2.39 kills/set) have combined for over 66% of the team’s kills (523 of 795).

• Kialah Jefferson continues to shine in her first season as a Lobo, already posting nine double-doubles while consistently delivering all over the court. She’s surpassed double-digit kills in 10 matches and is averaging 2.83 kills and 2.81 digs per set.
• Lauryn Payne has emerged as a key offensive weapon for the Lobos, leading the team with 207 kills across 62 sets (3.53 kills/set). After recording only 76 kills in her first two seasons at UNM, Payne has posted double-digit kills in 13 of the team’s 16 matches this year and led the Lobos in kills 12 times in that span. Payne set or matched a career-high in three consecutive matches to open MW play, capped off by back-to-back 23-kill performances in a pair of five-set wins against San Diego State and Air Force.
• Toledo Transfer Jada Bouyer has emerged as UNM’s most efficient attacker, leading the team in hitting percentage (.255) while producing 146 kills and this season. She’s also a key presence at the net, leading all Lobo outside hitters with 41 total blocks (3 BS, 38 BA). Bouyer caught fire late in UNM’s four-set loss to Nevada in Reno on Saturday, putting away 11 of UNM’s 24 kills over the final two sets with just one error in that span. In the fourth set alone, she connected on seven of UNM’s 13 kills on .538 hitting without a single attack error to go with five block assists. She finished with a team-high 15 kills on the day.

LAST TIME VS. SAN JOSE
New Mexico Volleyball overcame a bumpy start to set one and withstood multiple pushes from San Jose State en route to a four-set win (25-23, 24-26, 26-24, 25-20) Thursday night, putting the finishing touches on another undefeated week in conference play with the Lobos’ first win over the Spartans in San Jose since 2015.

Facing an SJSU squad looking for momentum after dropping 12 straight sets heading into Thursday’s match, UNM had its hands full in the first three sets before ripping off its biggest run of the night in set four to keep things from going to five, leaning on another big night from Kaitlynn Biassou (16 kills, six digs) and clutch offense late in each set from Athina Dimitriadis (9 kills, .316 hitting, 5 TB).

Kaitlynn Biassou led the Lobos in kills for the fifth time in a row and cracked double-digits for the sixth in a row, finishing with 16 kills and six digs. Uxue Guereca served up three aces and contributed eight kills and 10 digs – her third multi-ace match of the season and 14th with double-digit digs.

The Lobos’ middles were highly efficient in the win – Athina Dimitriadis added nine more kills on .316 hitting and Elizabeth Woods finished with seven on .438 hitting, with the duo both picking up five total blocks each. Dimitriadis served up a pair of aces.

After an efficient night on Tuesday off the bench, Lauryn Payne was effective again with more sample size, finishing with six kills and five digs to go with two blocks. Kali Wolf added three more kills and served up an ace while adding eight digs.

Melissa Walden and Madeleine Miller both recorded double-doubles at setter – Walden finished with 20 assists and 13 digs and Miller recorded 15 assists and 10 digs.

The Lobos were held to .158 hitting on the match but held the Spartans to .155 hitting in turn, holding them below .150 in each of the final two sets as they closed things out.

LOBOS ON THE BLOCK

• Elizabeth Woods, the team’s senior middle blocker and lone returning starter from 2023, continues to anchor the Lobos at the net. With a team-high 70 total blocks (11 BS, 59 BA) in 64 sets, she ranks ninth among MW players in blocks per set (1.09). Woods has posted five or more blocks in eight matches this season and has hit above .300 in eight matches. Her consistency has been a key part of UNM’s defense, and she’s added 11 service aces to her repertoire after never attempting a serve in a collegiate match prior to this season. Woods served up three aces and led the Lobos with five kills as they took the opening set on Saturday in Reno, 27-25.
• Liepa Lavickyte has been an important contributor since rejoining the starting lineup, tallying 42 total blocks (6 BS, 31 BA) in her last 31 sets played (1.35 blocks/set). She’s finished with multiple blocks in 11 of her last 12 matches and currently ranks fourth in the Mountain West with 1.26 blocks per set on the season.

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 4.06 digs per set. She’s led the team in digs in 12 of UNM’s last 14 matches and has reached double-digit digs in 13 matches this season, including six 20+ dig performances. Her efforts have earned her MW Defensive Player of the Week honors three weeks ago, and she currently ranks No. 4 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. 15, UNM ranks among the Top 100 in NCAA Division I in four statistical categories:
• Blocks per Set: 79th nationally (2.37)
• Digs per Set: 38th nationally (16.05)
• Opponent Hitting: 95th nationally (.189)
• Team Attacks per Set: 42nd nationally (36.91)

Within the Mountain West Conference, the Lobos rank in the Top Five in the same four categories:
• Blocks per Set: 5th (2.37)
• Digs per Set: 1st (16.05)
• Opponent Hitting: 4th (.189)
• Team Attacks per Set: 1st (36.91)

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.