ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Volleyball completed a perfect opening weekend at the Johnson Center on Saturday afternoon, sweeping Houston Christian in straight sets (25-18, 26-24, 25-18) to close out the 2025 Lobo Invitational at 3-0.
The Lobos (3-0) hit .370 as a team behind four players with at least eight kills, led by Gioia Riccato’s 11 kills and Naomi Chankoumi’s 13 on an efficient .346 clip. Addison France added nine kills of her own while Solia Angilau came through with a career-best eight on just 14 swings (.500).
With the victory, New Mexico improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2022 and swept through the opening weekend of competition under head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar for the second time in his tenure. They’ve also now won seven in a row at home dating back to last season.
Another 𝗟𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗦 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗣 🧹
UNM concludes this weekend 3-0 as Lobo Invitational champs!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/boZjef8k0O
— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) August 30, 2025
Setter Madeleine Miller (40 assists, 10 digs) and Libero Camila Canedo (team-high nine digs, three assists) steered a balanced Lobo offense that totaled 48 kills to Houston Christian’s 38. Miller also served up an ace and directed an attack that hit .515 in the second set to escape a back-and-forth battle with the Huskies (0-3).
UNM closed the opening frame on an 8-1 surge to flip a 17-17 tie into a 25-18 win, then overcame late service pressure in the second when Chankoumi and France combined for three kills in the final four points to edge the Huskies 26-24. In the third, Riccato and Angilau each delivered clutch kills out of the media timeout as the Lobos pulled away with four of the final five points to seal the sweep.
Freshman Zoe Leonard chipped in three blocks and six kills on .364 hitting, while Riccato (13 digs) and Chankoumi (seven) paced the floor defense alongside Canedo. The Lobos out-blocked HCU 7-4 and sided out at a 62 percent clip in the second set and 68 percent in the third to stay in control.