ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Volleyball battled through five sets with Northern Arizona in a season-opening exhibition Friday evening at The Pit - Powered by Nusenda, ultimately falling 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 15-17) after a match-point rally from the Lumberjacks undid the Lobos’ late momentum.
After trading lopsided set wins through the first four, the fifth and final set proved to be the tightest with five ties and three lead changes. UNM led 14-13 but surrendered four of the next five points as NAU pulled away late.
Mina Stanojevic (10 kills, 14 digs) picked up a double-double in her first collegiate match, with freshman Aylin Ravell (12 kills) and second-year Addison France (11 kills) joining her in double-digit to lead the Lobos’ attack.
Madeleine Miller dished out 41 of UNM’s 53 assists, with her and Ravell both serving up a pair of aces each in the process. Camila Canedo led UNM in digs with 20, while Reagan Miller (4 BA) was one of four Lobos with three or more block assists along with Zoe Leonard (3 BA), Madeleine Miller (3 BA) and Ravell (3 BA).
UP NEXT
The Lobos return for more exhibition action tomorrow, when they play host to Arizona at 1 p.m. Saturday’s match will not be streamed, with live stats available at GoLobos.com/VBStats. Follow @UNMLoboVB on IG, X and Facebook for match updates and coverage, promotional information, behind-the-scenes content and more.
UNM’s regular-season opener will be next Friday (Aug. 28) vs. Cal Baptist at 6:30 p.m. MT, with the action broadcast via subscription to MW+.
SET BY SET
SET ONE - NORTHERN ARIZONA 25, LOBOS 23
UNM put together an 8-1 run to pull ahead late in the opening set, with back-to-back aces from Madeleine Miller followed by a combined three kills from Zoe Leonard and Addison France to make it 23-22. Leonard (4 kills) and France (3 kills) led the attack, with Leonard hitting a team-high .667 in the opening set alone. Mina Stanojevic picked up a team-best six digs, with Miller assisting on all 10 UNM kills.
SET TWO - LOBOS 25, NORTHERN ARIZONA 18
The Lobos reasserted themselves immediately in the second set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead thanks to three blocks and a pair of kills. After an NAU response, Ravell served up back-to-back aces to put UNM back up 10-7 and the Lobos didn’t look back, connecting on 13 kills while hitting .226 as a team and holding the Lumberjacks to just seven kills on .000 hitting. UNM came up with a match-high five team blocks to stifle the ‘Jacks hitters, with Reagan Miller producing three block assists to lead the way.
Ravell took over in the second, coming up with five kills, two aces and a pair of block assists – Mina Stanojevic and Addison France added three more kills each, with Camila Canedo picking up a team-high five digs.
SET THREE - NORTHERN ARIZONA 25, LOBOS 19
Down 5-1 to start the third, the Lobos never fully recovered even as they connected on a match-high 14 kills – they never led as NAU bounced back with .321 hitting and a match-best 68% on sideouts. Reagan Miller paced the offense with four kills while Stanojevic and France poured in three more apiece, with Madeleine Miller cracking 30 assists on the day.
SET FOUR - LOBOS 25, NORTHERN ARIZONA 20
Another momentum swing got things started in the fourth, with the Lobos getting off to a 3-0 start with a kill and a block from freshman Campbell Hollister and dominating the rest of the way to force a decisive fifth set.
UNM hit at its most efficient clip of the night (.267) and cut off 53% of sideouts as seven different Lobos picked up a kill – Stanojevic came up with four more kills while Hollister added three, with Canedo (8 digs) leading UNM in digs for the third set in a row.
UNM totaled four blocks in the fourth set, with six different Lobos coming up with at least one block assists – Leonard and Hollister both assisted on two blocks each.
SET FIVE - NORTHERN ARIZONA 17, LOBOS 15
BUY TICKETS
Single-match and season tickets for all home matchups at The Pit - Powered by Nusenda are now available via GoLobos.com/VBTickets. Student tickets are free with a valid student ID and can be reserved here.
ICONIC NEW DIGS
Friday’s exhibition was the first volleyball match played at The Pit - Powered by Nusenda since 2023, with this season marking the first time the Lobos play at The Pit full-time since 1999. This fall, The Pit celebrates its 60th anniversary, with its first game played on Dec. 1, 1966.
UNM is 30-42 at University Arena / The Pit all-time, with a 7-3 record there since 2020.
The building ushered in a new era on February 26, 2026, when The University of New Mexico, UNM Sports Properties, and Nusenda Credit Union announced an historic 10-year partnership that provides an average annual value of $1.74 million in support of UNM Athletics. As part of the agreement, University Arena – The Pit officially was renamed The Pit - Powered by Nusenda, preserving the iconic identity of one of college basketball’s most storied venues while recognizing Nusenda’s longstanding investment in the University and the state.