BOULDER, Colo. – New Mexico Volleyball earned the first win of the Brian Hosfeld Era in gritty fashion, rallying late in the third set to hold off Northern Colorado in four sets (25-20, 23-25, 25-20, ) Friday afternoon at the CU Events Center.
Hosfeld’s first win as UNM’s head coach was also the 130th of his career – he improves to 130-135 all-time with a 129-133 (.492) record in his eight seasons at Baylor (1996-2003).
Addison France led the Lobos with her second double-double in as many matches, finishing with 17 kills and 11 digs while serving up a pair of aces and coming up with two solo blocks and four block assists. Reagan Miller added 14 kills without an attack error, hitting .667 on 21 swings while contributing one solo block and five block assists. Mina Stanojevic finished with nine kills and 20 digs to go along with an ace, while Uliana Yastrub added six kills and three total blocks. Madeleine Miller directed the offense with 41 assists while adding eight digs, three kills, an ace and two block assists, and Camila Canedo paced the back row with 21 digs while serving a match-high three aces.
As a team, New Mexico hit .252 with 53 kills, committing just 16 attack errors on 147 swings. The Lobos finished with 14 team blocks, seven service aces and 67 digs, while holding Northern Colorado to a .183 hitting percentage – their third match in a row holding an opponent below .200. UNM improved offensively as the match progressed, hitting .333 in the third set and a match-best .346 in the fourth.
UP NEXT
The Lobos (1-2) return tomorrow for a true road matchup with host Colorado (3-0), with first serve set for 6 p.m. MT. Saturday’s match will be available to stream via paid subscription to ESPN+, with live stats for both matches available via GoLobos.com/VBStats. Follow @UNMLoboVB on IG, X and Facebook for match updates and coverage, promotional information, behind-the-scenes content and more.
SET ONE - New Mexico 25, Northern Colorado 20
New Mexico came out firing in the opening set, scoring the first six points behind a dominant service run from Madeleine Miller. Reagan Miller powered the early surge with two kills, a solo block and two block assists, while Madeleine added an ace to help the Lobos build an 8-1 advantage. Northern Colorado gradually worked its way back into the frame, trimming the deficit to 11-8 before eventually erasing UNM’s lead with a six-point run that put the Bears in front 15-14.
The Lobos responded behind Addison France, who delivered three kills and a solo block over the next several rallies as UNM regained an 18-18 tie. Zoe Leonard followed with a kill and teamed with Uliana Yastrub on a block before France served an ace to extend the run to 21-18. Mina Stanojevic added a kill and later combined with Leonard for a block to bring up set point, with UNM closing out the 25-20 win on the next rally. The Lobos held Northern Colorado to a .020 hitting percentage while finishing with six team blocks, with Reagan Miller and France sharing the team lead with four kills apiece.
SET TWO - Northern Colorado 25, New Mexico 23
New Mexico jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set, getting an early block from Zoe Leonard and Addison France before Mina Stanojevic put away a kill. Northern Colorado answered with five straight points to take a 6-3 lead, and although the Lobos battled back to tie the frame at 6-6 behind consecutive Bears attack errors, UNM couldn’t regain the advantage. France and Stanojevic kept New Mexico within striking distance with kills, but Northern Colorado steadily stretched the margin, going from a 12-10 lead to 18-12 before eventually taking its largest advantage at 22-13.
The Lobos mounted a furious late rally from there. Reagan Miller delivered four kills and Stanojevic added an ace during a 5-0 run that cut the deficit to 22-18. After Northern Colorado briefly stopped the surge, kills from France, Uliana Yastrub, France again and Reagan Miller brought UNM all the way within one at 23-22. The Bears reached set point at 24-22, but France answered with another kill before Northern Colorado closed out the 25-23 win on the next rally to even the match at one set apiece. France and Reagan Miller each finished with five kills in the set as UNM hit .208 with 16 kills on 48 swings.
SET THREE - New Mexico 25, Northern Colorado 20
New Mexico fell behind early in the third set, with Northern Colorado turning a 4-4 tie into a 10-5 advantage before the Lobos began chipping away. Reagan Miller and Addison France each supplied multiple kills during the comeback, and UNM pulled within 16-15 on a block from Reagan Miller and Madeleine Miller. After Northern Colorado pushed its lead back to 19-17, another block from the Miller duo and a Reagan Miller kill brought New Mexico even at 19-19 before Reagan teamed with France at the net to give the Lobos their first lead since the opening point at 20-19.
From there, UNM took control, scoring eight of the final nine points after trailing 19-17. Uliana Yastrub put the Lobos ahead 21-20 with a kill, Campbell Hollister and France combined for a block and France followed with a kill to make it 23-20. Camila Canedo then served an ace to bring up set point before Yastrub finished the 25-20 win with a solo block, giving New Mexico a 2-1 match lead. The Lobos hit .333 in the set with 14 kills against just three errors, with Reagan Miller and France recording five kills apiece.
SET FOUR - New Mexico 25, Northern Colorado 16
New Mexico responded quickly after dropping the opening point of the fourth set, scoring five of the next six to grab a 5-1 advantage. Camila Canedo sparked the early run with an ace before Campbell Hollister put down a kill and Addison France added a solo block. Northern Colorado worked its way back, eventually tying the set at 10-10 and briefly taking an 11-10 lead, but Uliana Yastrub answered with a kill to even things up before consecutive kills from France and Mina Stanojevic put the Lobos back in front. Canedo followed with her second ace of the frame to stretch the advantage to 14-11.
From there, New Mexico pulled away for good. Hollister delivered back-to-back kills and France served an ace as the Lobos turned a one-point deficit into an 18-12 advantage with an 8-1 run. UNM later pushed the margin to 21-13 behind a solo block from Stanojevic, and Madeleine Miller and France supplied late kills to bring up set point. The Lobos closed out the 25-16 victory on the next sideout, hitting .346 with 11 kills and only two errors in the set to finish off the four-set win.