PHOENIX, Ariz. – New Mexico Volleyball had five players finish with four or more kills but the Lobos’ balanced attack wasn’t enough to hold off Grand Canyon (10-7, 2-4 MW) Saturday in Mountain West action at Global Credit Union Arena, as the Lopes put UNM away in straight sets (22-25, 22-25 17-25).
The Lobos (8–9, 0–6 MW) were led offensively by Gioia Riccato and Lauryn Payne, who each finished with six kills. Riccato added eight digs, while Payne tallied seven digs and a block assist to go with a pair of aces for the second match in a row.
Reagan Miller contributed five kills on .286 hitting while she and Zoe Leonard (4 kills) both finished with a team-high four total blocks. Addison France chipped in four kills and four digs.
Madeleine Miller paced the offense with 22 assists while adding six digs, two kills, and three total blocks, while libero Camila Canedo anchored the back row with a match-high 17 digs and a pair of aces.
New Mexico totaled 27 kills on .066 hitting, finishing with nine team blocks and six service aces while holding Grand Canyon to under .200 in two of the three sets. The Lobos led briefly in all three frames but couldn’t overcome GCU’s 13.0 total team blocks and efficient third-set finish.
UP NEXT
The Lobos split next week’s action between the road and home, heading to Las Vegas to take on UNLV on Thursday (7:30 p.m.) before returning home for a rematch with GCU at the Johnson Center Saturday (11 a.m.).