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by Connor Gilbert

Lobos Rally Past Aggies in Five-Set Rivalry Win

Lobos Rally Past Aggies in Five-Set Rivalry WinLobos Rally Past Aggies in Five-Set Rivalry Win
Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Volleyball cruised through the opening set, took a beating in the following two and closed out when it mattered most in a back-and-forth five set rivalry victory over New Mexico State (25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-11) Tuesday night at the Johnson Center.

The Lobos (8-2) are now winners of three in a row over the Aggies (6-3) since the return of the Rio Grande Rivalry from a nearly five-year hiatus – the first three-game win streak for UNM over NMSU since the Lobos won eight in a row from 1988-1998.

They’ll face once more in less than 24 hours at the Pan American Center, with Round 2 set to get underway at 6 p.m. MT in Las Cruces on Wednesday.

UNM dominated while hitting for a .400 clip in the first set but looked on the ropes after the Aggies dominated the second and third with eight blocks and 29 kills in that span. But after switching to a two-setter offense, the Lobos held the Aggies to match-low .167 hitting in the fourth as France led the way with six kills and took advantage of NMSU miscues to pull ahead midway through the fifth and hold on late.

“I just told them, ‘This is a test,’” said Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, who improved to 3-0 against NMSU in his tenure in Albuquerque. “’I’m not going to yell, but if you guys want this, you have to go get it.’ They responded.”

Addison France set a new career-high in kills for the fifth time this season, putting away 20 in total on .500 hitting – the true freshman played as both a hitter and setter, notching her first career double-double with 12 assists.

“I thought [switching to the two-setter rotation] gave us some energy,” France said. “Everybody stepped up. It was a lot of fun.”

Madeleine Miller also finished with a double-double for the fifth match in a row and sixth time this season, pouring in 40 assists to go with 10 digs, a block, an ace and a kill. She’s now produced 40 or more assists in a match five times this season after doing so only seven times in her first two seasons as a Lobo.

Uliana Yastrub (12 kills) and Seenane Brewer (11 kills) both also finished in double-digits – Yastrub was just one kill shy of a career-high she set last Saturday, with Brewer notching a new career-high of her own. The duo combined for 10 digs and three total blocks.

Libero Camila Canedo surpassed 20 digs for the fourth time this season, racking up 21 to lead the way as the Lobos outdug the Aggies 59-50 – she also add seven assists to round out UNM’s 59-assist night.

Zoe Leonard supplied nine more on her most efficient outing of the season, hitting at a .571 clip to lead the Lobos in hitting percentage to go with a team-high four blocks.

ALL-TIME SERIES
With Tuesday's victory, UNM is 33-46 against their rivals to the south all-time in a series that dates back to 1974. The Lobos have now won three in a row for the first time since 1998 and are 6-4 over their last 10 matchups. The Lobos lost their previous three meetings with the Aggies prior to the rivalry’s nearly five-year hiatus that began following the 2019 season.

Tuesday was the first time the two teams have gone to five sets since 2013 and only the 14th in the all-time series -- UNM improves to 8-6 in those matches.

ATTENDANCE
With 917 fans in total, Tuesday was the most attended home match at Johnson Center this season.

UP NEXT
Tomorrow’s rivalry week finale in Las Cruces is set for a 6 p.m. MT first serve and will be available to stream via ESPN+, with live stats for both matches available at GoLobos.com/VBStats. Follow @UNMLoboVB for match day updates, promotional information and more.