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