Rams Hold Off Lobos in Four
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Volleyball stood strong late in the second set to tie things up with first-place Colorado State (11-8, 7-2 MW) in Mountain West action at the Johnson Center on Thursday night, but the Lobos (9-10, 2-7 MW) couldn’t keep up in the next two as they fell in four sets (17-25, 25-27, 19-25, 19-25).
UNM didn’t find a rhythm until midway through the opening set when they trailed 16-3 after burning both timeouts but put together a spirited response, outscoring the Rams 14-9 through the rest set one before holding them off at set point in the second to tie the match at a set apiece. But CSU’s defense reasserted itself in the final two sets – the Lobos were held to 18 kills on .068 hitting the rest of the way as the Rams hit .318 with 31 kills in the same span to take control for good.
The Lobos hit the road to continue Mountain West play on Saturday, facing Wyoming (12-7, 4-5 MW) in Laramie at 1 p.m. Saturday’s match will be streamed via the MW Network, with live stream links, live stats and more available at Lobo VB Matchday Central via GoLobos.com/FollowVB.
HIGHLIGHTS
🏐 Highlights from @CSUVolleyball‘s 3-1 win over New Mexico
#MakingHerMark | #MWVB | #Stalwart pic.twitter.com/9P2jtl7Qi4
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) October 25, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
Jada Bouyer racked up 13 kills – her ninth match this season with double-digits – on team-high .258 hitting to lead a 39-kill effort for the Lobos, with 11 of them coming in the third and fourth sets as UNM pushed for a fifth set. Lauryn Payne finished with eight kills and Naomi Chankoumi and Kialah Jefferson both added seven each, with Jefferson and Falanika Danielson both picking up a team-high 13 digs to lead six other Lobos that finished with multiple.
Elizabeth Woods served up two of UNM’s four aces and combined with Liepa Lavickyte for 10 of the Lobos’ 20 team blocks – she’s now served up multiple aces in four consecutive matches. Jefferson and Madeleine Miller both added an ace each, with Miller (20 assists) combining with Sohila Wafeek for 36 of UNM’s 37 assists.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Even in the loss, the Lobos did something they failed to do in three tries against the Rams last year — take a set off them. It’s their first set win against CSU since 2022, when the Lobos swept the Rams in Fort Collins for Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar’s 50th career win. In the last 10 matches played between the two teams (33 sets total), UNM has won just eight sets and two matches.
Overall, the Lobos drop to 26-64 against Colorado State all-time and 1-4 in their last five meetings with the Rams — they’re 14-27 against them at home and 2-7 in Coach Newman-Gonchar’s tenure.
THE ACTION
SET ONE: NEW MEXICO 17, COLORADO STATE 25
Trailing 3-16 in the opening set after a 13-0 run that burned both UNM timeouts, the Lobos outscored the Rams 13-6 over the next 19 points, with Woods’ second ace of the set forcing CSU into a timeout with the Lobos trailing 16-22. The Rams scored three of the next four coming out of the break in response to halt the response, but the Lobos found a rhythm that they’d keep heading into the second.
SET TWO: NEW MEXICO 27, COLORADO STATE 25
Miller got the second set started with an ace – UNM’s third of the night – and the Lobos retook the lead at 8-7 with Woods’ first kill after going ahead by as much as two early. CSU scored six of the next eight in response to cue another timeout with the ‘Bos trailing 13-10, but the Lobos returned the favor in kind after the break. UNM scored six of the next eight to retake the lead at 16-15 and force another timeout, but the Rams came out swinging once again. CSU scored four in a row after the timeout – capped off by three consecutive block assists – and ripped off three more after a Lobo timeout before Jefferson’s sixth kill made it 22-17. But UNM found the final response to close things out and tie it up at a set apiece – the Lobos scored the next four with Jefferson serving up an ace to make it 23-21, with Chankoumi, Bouyer and Payne all putting away kills as they closed on a 6-1 run to seal the set after CSU reached set point.
SET THREE: NEW MEXICO 19, COLORADO STATE 25
An early 5-0 run for the Rams proved to be the difference, as CSU hit a match-high .367 and put away 15 kills and the Lobos couldn’t within four again the rest of the way. UNM was held to single-digit kills again with nine on .071 hitting, with Jada Bouyer providing five of them on just seven attempts for .571 hitting.
SET FOUR: NEW MEXICO 19, COLORADO STATE 25
CSU continued to stifle the Lobos at the net in the final set, holding the Lobos to .065 hitting despite Bouyer contributing six of their nine kills – three of which in UNM’s last four points. Bouyer’s 12th kill of the night got UNM with three at 20-17 but they wouldn’t get any closer as CSU scored six of the last 10 points to keep it to four.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The Lobos hit the road to continue Mountain West play on Saturday, facing Wyoming (12-7, 4-5 MW) in Laramie at 1 p.m. Saturday’s match will be streamed via the MW Network, with live stream links, live stats and more available at Lobo VB Matchday Central via GoLobos.com/FollowVB.