6-0 Lobos Head to Riverside for CBU's The Joust

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After another undefeated weekend of tournament action, New Mexico Volleyball (6-0) hits the road for its final nonconference tournament weekend of the year when the Lobos face Portland State, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Baptist in Riverside, Calif.

Through two weeks of play, UNM is now 6-0 on the season – their best six-match start since 2021, when they won their first eight to open the season. It’s only the eighth time in program history in which the Lobos have won each of their first five matches.

The Lobos are one of just 37 teams that remain unbeaten on the season and one of just two Mountain West teams along with Air Force. 

Only Saturday's finale matchup with Cal Baptist will be streamed, with both live stats for all three matches available at GoLobos.com/VBStats. Follow @UNMLoboVB for match day updates, promotional information and more.

vs. Portland State
Sep. 11 | 3 p.m. MT | Riverside, Calif. | Van Dyne Gym

vs. Cal State Fullerton
Sep. 12 | 4 p.m. MT | Riverside, Calif. | Van Dyne Gym

at California Baptist
Sep. 13 | 2 p.m. MT | Riverside, Calif. | Van Dyne Gym

MILLER, FRANCE TAKE HOME MW WEEKLY HONORS
Fresh off another undefeated weekend and nonconference tournament crown at the Tarleton State Invitational, New Mexico’s Madeleine Miller and Addison France took home Old Trapper Mountain West Offensive Player & Freshman of the Week honors, the league announced Monday.
It’s the first weekly conference honor for both Lobos and the first of the season for New Mexico. Both Miller and France were also named to the Tarleton State Invitational All-Tournament Team for their efforts as the Lobos defeated Tarleton State in five, Northwestern State in straight sets and Prairie View A&M in four.

MW OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MADELEINE MILLER | JR | S
Miller served up 15 aces in total (1.25/set) – including six in a five-set win over Tarleton on Thursday and seven in a four-set neutral site win over Prairie View on Saturday – to lead Mountain West players over the past week. UNM led the conference in total aces (32) and aces per set (2.67) in that span.
Miller’s seven service aces on Saturday rank as the second-most in a single match in the rally scoring era and tie for third all-time.
The junior setter also averaged 9.67 assists per set – second-most in the conference over the past week – with two outings of 40 or more assists on Thursday and Saturday, finishing with a double-double on Saturday with 19 digs. The Lobo offense averaged 12.67 assists per set despite missing starting hitters Naomi Chankoumi and Lauryn Payne due to injury, hitting at a .389 clip on her set attempts (116/298).
In the finale win over Prairie View, Miller finished with 48 assists, 19 digs, seven aces, three kills and four block assists.
Added seven kills and five block assists to finish with 24.5 points in total on the weekend and was named to the Tarleton State Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts.

MW FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
ADDISON FRANCE | FR | S/OH
France led the Lobos in kills (40 / 3.33 per set) as a true freshman over their 3-0 weekend at the Tarleton State Invitational, being named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts. 
The 6-3 lefty hitter/setter hit .351 on the weekend – fifth-best among all players in the conference this week – while ranking sixth among MW players in kills per set in that span as well. She also ranked eighth in the conference over the past week in points per set (3.50), adding 11 digs and four block assists in total.
France notched a career-high 15 kills vs. Tarleton State on Friday before improving that career best to 17 in the Lobos’ final match of the weekend vs. Prairie View – she also hit a team-high .438 with eight kills in Friday’s win over Northwestern State.

LAST WEEKEND SUMMARY
UNM went 3–0 over the weekend, defeating host Tarleton in five sets, Northwestern State in three and Prairie View A&M in four. Through two weeks of play, UNM is now 6-0 on the season – their best six-match start since 2021, when they won their first eight to open the season. It’s only the eighth time in program history in which the Lobos have won each of their first five matches.
Madeleine Miller and Addison France were both named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts – the duo earned MW Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week on Tuesday.
The Lobos hit .241 as a team (152 kills, 419 attempts) while holding opponents to .171 hitting – they averaged 12.7 kills, 11.8 assists, 16.8 digs and 2.7 aces per set.
They also out-aced opponents 32–13, with a season-best 12 aces vs. Prairie View A&M that included seven from Madeleine Miller – the second-most by a UNM player in a single match in the rally scoring era.
The back row kept plays alive with 202 digs (16.8/set) across the weekend – the most in the Mountain West last week.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Addison France – Team-high 40 kills (3.33/set) and 42 points (3.50/set) on .351 hitting to earn MW Freshman of the week
Gioia Riccato – 34 kills (2.83/set), 36 digs (3.0/set); notched her second double-double of the season and has finished with double-digit kills in all six of the Lobos’ matches so far.
Zoe Leonard – Breakout weekend: 27 kills (2.25/set) on .368 hitting, plus 4 blocks while serving up five aces.
Seenane Brewer – 19 kills, 21 digs and 4 blocks after stepping up due to an injury to Naomi Chankoumi on Thursday.
Solia Angilau – 18 kills, 10 total blocks (0.83/set); team’s top blocker on weekend
Madeleine Miller – Directed offense with 116 assists (9.67/set); also 15 aces (1.25/set), 29 digs – served up six aces on Thursday and seven more on Saturday to earn MW Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Camila Canedo – Anchored defense with a team-best 49 digs (4.08/set) and 5 aces – led the Mountain West in digs over the past week.

SERVING SURGE
The Lobos averaged 2.7 aces/set this weekend (up from 1.6/set opening weekend) – Miller (15), Canedo (5) and Leonard (5) led the service pressure, with Reagan Miller (2), Gioia Riccato (2) and Madison Blanco (2) all serving multiple.

EARLY RETURNS FROM MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON
New Mexico was voted to finish ninth in the Mountain West Preseason Poll by the league’s coaches ahead of the 2025 season, the league announced last Wednesday.

Utah State is favored to win the 2025 MW regular-season title, having earned 114 points and seven first-place votes. Under the direction of head coach Rob Neilson, the Aggies finished the 2024 season 15-14 overall and 12-6 in Conference action and appeared in the Mountain West tournament for the fourth consecutive year since the event was brought back in 2021.

For the 2025 season, the Mountain West will expand to 12 members thanks to the late addition of Grand Canyon to the conference.

Colorado State has been tabbed the runner-up with 106 points and three first-place votes followed by San Diego State in third with 96 points and the final two first-place votes. In fourth is Fresno State (86 points) and predicted to finish fifth is Boise State (73). UNLV and Wyoming are tied to finish sixth with 72 points each. In eighth is the league’s newest member, Grand Canyon (61), followed by New Mexico with 37. Behind the Lobos are Nevada (32), San José State (31) and Air Force (12).

Fresno State senior Addison Haluska was tabbed the MW Women’s Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year, joined by Boise State’s Bre Mitchell, San Diego State’s Taylor Underwood, UNLV’s Basia Latos, Utah State’s Tierney Barlow and Kayliee Kofe and Wyoming’s Paige Lauterwasser on this year’s Mountain West preseason team.

The Lobos are looking to return to the Mountain West Tournament after missing out in 2024 to snap a streak of three consecutive tournament appearances. In 2024, UNM found its rhythm late in the season, winning four of its last six — with two wins over MW Tournament-qualifying teams — after weathering a nine-match skid. The Lobos led the conference in digs per set (15.77) for the third year in a row and ranked second in blocks per set (2.53) in 2024, finishing ninth in the conference standings at 13-15 overall and 6-12 in MW play.

At the conclusion of the 2024 season, UNM ranked among the Top 100 in NCAA D-I in six statistical categories:

• Blocks Per Set (33rd)
• Total Blocks (44th)
• Digs Per Set (74th)
• Attacks Per Set (81st)
• Opp. Hitting % (82nd)
• Team Digs (86th)

They ranked first in the conference in Digs Per Set (15.77) and Team Digs (1,766), ranked second in Blocks Per Set (2.53), Total Blocks (283.5) and Attacks Per Set (36.21) and ranked third in Opponent Hitting % (.190) and Total Attacks (4,055).

UNM got a breakout season from outside hitter Lauryn Payne, who earned All-MW honors at the conclusion after racking up 370 kills (3.36/set) in her first year as the Lobos’ go-to option at the pins.

In her first season in Albuquerque, middle blocker Liepa Lavickyte picked up steam down the stretch, earning two MW Defensive Player of the Week honors and ranked second in the conference in blocks per set (1.35) at the end of the year.

Madeleine Miller also proved up to the task as a six-rotation setter after moving into the starting role, averaging 7.63 assists per set (7th-most in the MW) and putting up 14 double-doubles on the season — Miller also served up 27 aces and connected on 56 kills while totaling 32 total blocks.

Under Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, UNM has won at a .585 clip over the past four seasons and is 33-18 at home in that span. Last season, the Lobos averaged over 800 fans a game for the third season in a row, with a season-high 1,387 fans in attendance vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 16.

To compete for one of those top six spots, the Lobos need to replace a significant amount of contributors – four starters from last season graduated. The Lobos return eight players that saw real action in 2024 and bring in two freshmen and four transfers, two with D1 experience at previous institutions.

OUTSIDES/OPPOSITES
After a breakthrough season that saw her put away a team-high 370 kills and 393 total points to earn the first All-MW honors of her career, senior outside Lauryn Payne returns to lead the Lobos’ attack alongside fellow returners Naomi Chankoumi (70 SP, 96 kills) and Seenane Brewer (36 SP, 45 kills). Payne picked up momentum near the end of the 2024 season as the Lobos snapped a seven-match skid to win four of their last six, connecting on double-digit kills in each of her final six and setting a new career-high with 26 in total against UNLV in the season finale.
Grad transfer Gioia Riccato (University of Verona) brings a bevy of high-level experience despite this being her first D1 season – the 6-1 outside has played for three Italian clubs while attending University of Verona prior to heading to Albuquerque for one season of eligibility. Ukrainian transfer sophomore Uliana Yastrub (Rutgers) and redshirt freshman Amanda Tremeroli also will make their Lobo debuts this season to round things out.

LIBEROS
The Lobos got one of the most productive single-season efforts from a libero in program history from grad transfer Falanika Danielson in 2024, but have plenty of options to replace her contributions this season.

Junior Giselle Groe (168 career sets played) and redshirt junior Madison Blanco (119 career sets played) both have extensive experience in the back row at UNM, with Brazilian junior college transfer Camila Canedo and freshman Anna Johannson (Minneapolis, Minn.) making it a four-way competition for the starting libero role. Whoever doesn’t start at libero will likely still get plenty of defensive rotations and serving opportunities.

SETTERS
One of the most productive setters in the Mountain West in 2024, Madeleine Miller ranked seventh in the league in assists per set (7.63) and returns as the Lobos’ highest-volume option at the position. She’s backed up by a pair of newcomers in 6-3 true freshman Addison France and NMJC transfer junior Sude Omercikoglu, with left-handed France able to play at opposite as well. Omercikoglu was a part of an NMJC team that advanced to the NJCAA Tournament in 2023 and has led the Thunderbirds in assists per set in each of the last two seasons.

MIDDLES
Two-time MW Defensive Player of the Week Liepa Lavickyte is positioned to lead the Lobos at the net while they look to replace the contributions of 2024 captain and five-year senior Elizabeth Woods – the Norwegian junior racked up 123 blocks in total (1.35/s) to lrank second in the conference in blocks per set in 2024.

6-1 sophomore Reagan Miller (32 sets played in 2024) and 6-3 redshirt freshman Zoe Leonard will both likely get their share of reps alongside Lavickyte, with 6-1 CBU transfer sophomore Solia Angilau also in the mix.

2025 SCHEDULE

This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this year’s Lobo Invitational, a multi-team event that will feature matchups between and against Manhattan, Northern Arizona and Houston Christian (Aug. 29-30).

NONCONFERENCE
After the Lobo Invitational, UNM heads to Stephenville, Texas for tournament action hosted by Tarleton State – they’ll face the Texans on that Thursday (Sept. 4) before meetings with Northwestern State (Sept. 5) and Prairie View A&M (Sept. 6).

They’ll be in Riverside, Calif. the following weekend for one more weekend of round-robin matchups hosted by Cal Baptist, opening up with Portland State (Sept. 11) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 12) in neutral-site action before facing host Cal Baptist on Sept. 13.

MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY
Conference play will include an 18-match format with each MW team playing nine home contests and making nine road trips during league action. League play begins on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 22.

The Lobos will begin conference play with four home matchups in a row, beginning with Utah State (Sep. 25) and Boise State (Sep. 27) in the Johnson Center for Week 1 before matchups with Colorado State (Oct. 2) and Wyoming (Oct. 4).

After a three-game road swing featuring dates at San Diego State (Oct. 9), new conference opponent Grand Canyon (Oct. 11) and UNLV (Oct. 16), UNM returns home for a rematch with the Lopes (Oct. 18) before another road swing to Fresno State (Oct. 23) and San Jose State (Oct. 25).

Another four-match home stretch takes place from Oct. 30-Nov. 8, with UNM hosting Nevada, Air Force, UNLV and San Diego State in that span – the Lobos’ matchup with the Aztecs will be Senior Day at the Johnson Center. After heading to Nevada (Nov. 13) and Air Force (Nov. 15), the Lobos close out the season with road dates at Wyoming and Colorado State on Nov. 20 and 22nd, respectively.

If the Lobos qualify for the conference tournament, they’ll be returning to Vegas the following week to begin postseason action. League play will determine the seeding for the 2024 MW Volleyball Championship, which will start Wednesday, Nov. 26, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 29, in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV Campus.

UP NEXT
Following this weekend’s action on the road, New Mexico returns home to host New Mexico State at the Johnson Center in the first Rio Grande Rivalry matchup of the year next Tuesday.

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