DAVIS, Calif. — New Mexico rallied from a 2-1 deficit and outlasted UC Davis in a five-set battle Thursday night at University Credit Union Center, securing its first road win of the season and handing the Aggies their first Mountain West loss (22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 16-14).
The Lobos (5-10, 3-2 MW) have now won three matches in a row after snapping a seven-match losing streak last Friday, this time doing so against a UC Davis squad that entered the night 4-0 in conference play.
After answering an opening-set loss with a win in the second, UNM found itself needing another response when the Aggies pulled away late in the third. The Lobos delivered, building a seven-point advantage in the fourth behind a balanced offensive effort and holding off a late UC Davis push to force a deciding set.
UNM had to rally once more in the fifth, erasing an early three-point deficit before taking a 9-8 lead on a Stanojevic solo block. The Lobos later earned two match points at 14-12, but the Aggies fought back to tie it. Reagan Miller put UNM ahead again with a kill before Madeleine Miller sealed the comeback with a solo block, completing a match in which the Lobos twice overcame a one-set deficit.
'𝗕𝗢𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘‼️ Lobos hand UC Davis their first conference loss in a five-set thriller! https://t.co/9H4ZVEBHxc
— New Mexico Volleyball (@UNMLoboVB) October 9, 2026
"It was a good battle by both teams and fortunately we made some great plays at the end of the fith set," said UNM Head Coach Brian Hosfeld. "We’ll enjoy this tonight then start the process over tomorrow making the necessary adjustments to prepare for another battle Saturday."
Stanojevic led three Lobos in double figures with 19 kills and added 18 digs for a double-double. Yastrub followed with 16 kills on .256 hitting, while France recorded a double-double of her own with 13 kills and 22 digs, adding two solo blocks and an ace.
Madeleine Miller directed the offense with 50 assists and contributed five kills without an error on nine swings (.556), six digs and two solo blocks. Canedo anchored the back row with a match-high 27 digs and added five assists and an ace, while Reagan Miller led UNM at the net with four solo blocks to go with five kills.
The Lobos finished with 61 kills on .199 hitting and an 86-73 advantage in digs, holding UC Davis to a .177 hitting percentage. The Aggies narrowly led in kills, 62-61, and finished with a 14-10 edge in blocks, while both teams served four aces. All 10 of UNM’s blocks were solo efforts, including three in the deciding set.
UP NEXT
New Mexico returns for a second round with UC Davis on Saturday, with first serve set for 1 p.m. MT. Saturday’s match will be available to stream via MW+, 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 1 — UC DAVIS 25, NEW MEXICO 22
New Mexico erased an early six-point deficit and built a late lead before UC Davis scored the final six points to take the opener. Trailing 9-3, the Lobos responded with a 7-1 run that included solo blocks from Madeleine Miller and Reagan Miller to pull even at 10-10. UNM later used an ace from Joesting to tie the score at 18-18 before a Canedo ace and back-to-back Stanojevic kills helped put the Lobos ahead 22-19, but the Aggies scored the final six points to pull away late.
Stanojevic and Yastrub paced UNM with three kills apiece, while Madeleine Miller contributed seven assists, a kill and a solo block. The Lobos finished with nine kills on .167 hitting, two aces and two blocks, holding UC Davis to a .186 hitting percentage.
SET 2 — NEW MEXICO 25, UC DAVIS 21
The Lobos responded with a much more efficient offensive effort in the second, hitting .391 with 11 kills and just two attack errors on 23 swings to even things up at a set apiece. Yastrub led UNM with four kills, while Stanojevic and France added three apiece. Madeleine Miller dished out 10 assists, and France contributed two solo blocks and an ace. Reagan Miller added another solo block as UNM totaled three blocks and two aces while limiting the Aggies to .226 hitting.
Down 4-2 early, UNM rattled off five consecutive points to take control, featuring a Leonard ace and back-to-back solo blocks from France and Reagan Miller. France followed with another solo block and an ace as the Lobos stretched the advantage to 10-5, with UNM going on to lead by as many as six at 14-8. UC Davis trimmed the margin to 22-21, but the ‘Bos answered with the final three points out of a timeout to seal the deal. France delivered a kill to halt the rally, an Aggie attack error brought up set point and Yastrub finished it off with her fourth kill of the night.
SET 3 — UC DAVIS 25, NEW MEXICO 20
New Mexico stayed within striking distance throughout the third before UC Davis pulled away late. Consecutive Reagan Miller kills brought the Lobos even at 12-12, and Stanojevic added three more kills as UNM battled to a 17-17 tie. France kept the Lobos within one at 19-18, but the Aggies answered with four consecutive points and closed out the set to take a 2-1 lead.
France paced UNM with seven kills, while Stanojevic added five and Reagan Miller contributed two. Madeleine Miller distributed 15 assists and added a kill, while Leonard recorded a solo block. The Lobos totaled 16 kills on .244 hitting, matching UC Davis’ kill total, but the Aggies hit .389 with just two attack errors.
SET 4 — NEW MEXICO 25, UC DAVIS 22
The Lobos forced a deciding fifth set – just their second this season – behind their highest kill total of the match through four frames, putting away 17 while holding UC Davis to nine kills on .060 hitting. Stanojevic led the way with six kills, followed by Yastrub with five. Madeleine Miller added three kills and 11 assists, Hollister chipped in two kills and Reagan Miller recorded a solo block. UNM hit .176 on 51 swings.
New Mexico jumped ahead 6-2 and answered an Aggie rally with four consecutive points, capped by Reagan Miller’s solo block for a 10-5 advantage. Two Hollister kills helped the Lobos stretch the margin to seven, including a 16-9 lead. UC Davis worked back within three before back-to-back Stanojevic kills pushed UNM ahead 22-17. The Aggies made one more push to cut the deficit to 23-21, but Stanojevic answered with a kill out of a timeout to bring up set point. Yastrub finished it off two rallies later, tying the match at two sets apiece.
SET 5 — NEW MEXICO 16, UC DAVIS 14
New Mexico erased an early three-point deficit and held off UC Davis in extra points to complete the comeback. Trailing 6-3, the Lobos pulled even behind a France kill and consecutive Yastrub kills. Stanojevic later followed a kill with a solo block to give UNM a 9-8 advantage, and the Lobos stretched the lead to 11-9. After UC Davis tied it at 12-12, an Aggie attack error and a Reagan Miller solo block brought up match point. UC Davis fought off two match points to tie the score again, but Reagan Miller delivered a kill before Madeleine Miller ended the match with a solo block.
Yastrub led UNM with three kills in the deciding frame, while Stanojevic and France added two apiece. Madeleine Miller recorded seven assists, and the Lobos totaled three solo blocks — one each from Stanojevic, Reagan Miller and Madeleine Miller. Both teams hit .038, with UNM holding an 8-7 edge in kills to secure its first road win and third consecutive victory.