VB Preview: Lobos Continue Road Swing at UNLV This Weekend

VB Preview: Lobos Continue Road Swing at UNLV This WeekendVB Preview: Lobos Continue Road Swing at UNLV This Weekend

With the final two weeks of the regular season in sight, New Mexico Volleyball (9-15, 7-7 MW) heads to Las Vegas for its final road matches of the fall at UNLV (11-14, 7-7 MW) Thursday and Saturday.

The Lobos (9-15, 7-7 MW) enter the eighth week of conference play tied with UNLV for fifth place, one match behind fourth-place UTEP. With four conference matches remaining, New Mexico will likely need to win out to secure a top-four finish and its first trip to the Mountain West Tournament since 2023.

Looking to snap a four-match skid, the Lobos will return to The Pit - Powered by Nusenda to close the regular season against Wyoming next Wednesday and Thursday, with Thursday being senior day. Four straight wins, coupled with at least two UTEP losses over its final four matches against Grand Canyon and Hawai‘i, would guarantee New Mexico a tournament berth.

Both matchups with the Rebels 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.

New Mexico (9-15, 7-7 MW)
Air Force (11-14, 7-7 MW)

Brian Hosfeld Media Availability (10/26)

Loading YouTube Video...
2026 MW Women's Volleyball Standings
School Conf CPct. Overall Pct. Streak
Hawai‘i 13-1 .929 21-4 .840 W2
Grand Canyon 9-5 .643 15-10 .600 W6
UC Davis 9-5 .643 13-12 .520 W1
UTEP 8-6 .571 16-10 .615 L1
UNLV 7-7 .500 11-14 .440 L1
New Mexico 7-7 .500 9-15 .375 L4
Wyoming 6-8 .429 13-12 .520 W1
Air Force 6-8 .429 10-15 .400 W2
Nevada 3-11 .214 5-19 .208 L8
San José State 2-12 .143 7-18 .280 L6

ALL-TIME SERIES
New Mexico trails the all-time series with UNLV 20–36, including a 9–17 record on the road, and looks to snap a four-match skid against the Rebels. The Lobos’ last victory came in five sets in the 2023 Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas. UNM won two of three meetings that season, also sweeping the Rebels on their home court on Oct. 5, 2023, and is 2–8 in the last 10 matchups. The Lobos last swept the season series in 2018, while UNLV won both meetings in 2024 and 2025.

LAST WEEKEND RECAP

UNM dropped both matches at Air Force, falling in straight sets Thursday before pushing the Falcons to five sets Saturday. The Lobos improved from 37 kills on .087 hitting in the opener to 64 kills on a .224 clip in the finale, but could not halt a skid that reached four matches. New Mexico finished the weekend 9-15 overall and 7-7 in Mountain West play.

The Lobos outdug Air Force 139-128 across the series, averaging 17.38 digs per set, including a 71-68 advantage Thursday and a 68-60 edge Saturday. The Falcons held the advantage in kills (113-101), assists (103-92), aces (8-6) and blocks (23-15), hitting .272 while limiting UNM to .162. New Mexico increased its block total from four in the opener to 11 in the finale, outblocking Air Force 11-10 Saturday.

Camila Canedo anchored the back row with 40 digs and 5.00 per set while accounting for a team-high three service aces. Madeleine Miller totaled 76 assists and 19 digs, averaging 9.50 assists per set while adding nine kills on .421 hitting and six blocks. Mina Stanojevic contributed 19 kills, 19 digs, seven assists and two aces across the two matches.

Seenane Brewer led the Lobos with 23 kills and 2.88 per set on .268 hitting, while Reagan Miller added 20 kills on a .271 clip and five blocks. Addison France finished with 19 kills and 29 digs, ranking second on the team with 3.63 digs per set. Zoe Leonard paced UNM at the net with nine blocks and 1.13 per set while adding nine kills, and Ella Joesting contributed 20 digs.

2026 NOTES

AN ICONIC RETURN
In 1996-1999, UNM averaged 1,026 attendance at home volleyball matches at The Pit. All four of the most-attended UNM Volleyball matches in program history took place at The Pit:

Opponent Attendance Date
1. Colorado State 7,008 10/31/92
2. Utah 6,152 10/20/90
3. TCU 5,114 10/5/96
4. Nebraska 4,473 9/10/16

2,544 fans were in attendance for UNM’s home match vs. NMSU -- their highest-attended home match since 2016, when 4,473 fans were there for a matchup with Nebraska. Through two exhibitions and nine regular-season home matches, the Lobos are averaging 1,362 fans per match. UNM’s total attendance through those nine matches (14,991) has already surpassed the entire 2025 season at the Johnson Center (8,711) and is the highest total since 2016 (19,691).

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. 

This fall, The Pit celebrates its 60th anniversary, with its first game played on Dec. 1, 1966. UNM is 38-44 at University Arena / The Pit all-time, with a 12-5 record there since 2020. The Lobos are 6-3 at home this season.

NUN GETTING INVOLVED
Seenane Brewer has emerged as an increasingly important option in UNM’s attack, totaling 81 kills over her last seven matches after recording nine in her first 11 appearances. Brewer has started six of the Lobos’ last seven matches, averaging 3.00 kills per set on .208 hitting during that stretch and reaching double figures four times.

Brewer led UNM with 23 kills and 2.88 per set against Air Force last weekend, following eight kills Thursday with 15 on .313 hitting Saturday to tie Addison France for the team lead. She has led or tied for the team lead in kills in three of the last six matches, including a season-high 17 on .344 hitting in the Oct. 23 win over San José State. She added 11 in the series finale against the Spartans, marking her first consecutive double-digit kill performances of the season.

Brewer has accounted for 81 of UNM’s 360 kills over the last seven matches, providing another option alongside season kill leaders Mina Stanojevic and Addison France. She has also contributed 24 digs during that stretch, highlighted by 11 in the Oct. 17 victory over UTEP.

REAGAN HEATING UP
Reagan Miller has taken on a larger offensive role for the Lobos in 2026, totaling 190 kills in 82 sets after finishing last season with 122. Her production has climbed from 1.36 to 2.32 kills per set — an increase of approximately 71 percent — while she has surpassed last year’s kill total by 68. Miller is hitting .297 across 23 starts and ranks third on the team in kills and points (229.5).

Miller has recorded nine double-digit kill performances this season, including six while hitting at least .400. Her highlights include a career-high 15 kills without an error on 22 swings (.682) against Northern Colorado and another 15-kill performance on .650 hitting against New Mexico State. Most recently, she finished with 13 kills and just two errors on 26 swings (.423) in Saturday’s five-set match at Air Force, bringing her weekend total to 20 kills.

Miller also leads UNM with 58 total blocks and 21 solo stops, averaging 0.71 blocks and 2.80 points per set. She added five blocks against Air Force last weekend, recording a solo stop and a block assist Thursday before contributing three block assists Saturday. Earlier this season, she established career highs with 31 attacks and five solo blocks against Fresno State on Sept. 18, finishing with 13 kills and six total blocks.

MADS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF HISTORY
Madeleine Miller sits ninth in UNM history with 2,835 career assists after adding 76 against Air Force last weekend. She passed Sarah Kwasigroch (2,634, 2005–08) during the Lobos’ series against San José State and now needs 165 assists to become the eighth player in program history to reach 3,000.

Miller has 830 assists in 89 sets this season, averaging 9.33 per set after producing a career-high 984 last year and 854 as a sophomore. She has recorded 10 matches with at least 40 assists in 2026, including two with at least 50. Her latest came Saturday at Air Force, when she distributed 47 assists while adding eight digs, six kills on error-free .500 hitting and a season-high six blocks. She recorded her seventh double-double of the season in Thursday’s opener with 29 assists and 11 digs.

Miller earned MW Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 26 after totaling 102 assists across two four-set victories over San José State, leading the conference at 12.75 assists per set for the week. She recorded 47 assists and 10 digs in the opener before distributing a season-high 55 assists in the finale.

Since the start of October, Miller has totaled 470 assists across 12 matches, averaging 10.22 per set. She has also contributed 179 digs, 85 kills on .307 hitting, 35 blocks and 19 service aces this season, ranking third on the team in aces. Reaching 3,000 career assists this season would require 995 assists, 11 more than her career-best season total.

MILA DIGGIN’ IT
After recording 485 digs in her first season — the seventh-most in a single season in UNM history — Brazilian fifth-year libero Camila Canedo continues to anchor the Lobos’ back row. An All-Mountain West honorable mention selection in 2025, she added 23 aces and 109 assists while leading the conference in total digs and digs per set (4.33).

Through 24 matches in 2026, Canedo leads the Lobos with 385 digs, averaging 4.33 per set. She has reached double figures 20 times, including nine matches with at least 20, highlighted by a season-high 27 at UC Davis on Oct. 8. Her current streak of 11 consecutive double-digit dig performances includes at least 19 in each of her last six matches.

Canedo collected 40 digs across eight sets against Air Force last weekend, averaging 5.00 per set while helping UNM outdig the Falcons 139-128. She finished with 19 digs Thursday and 21 Saturday, adding four assists and three service aces across the series. Her three aces in the opener tied her season high. Over her last six matches, she has totaled 129 digs and averaged 5.61 per set.

A two-time MW Defensive Player of the Week this season, Canedo most recently earned the honor on Oct. 26 after recording 45 digs and a conference-leading 5.63 per set against San José State. She has totaled 217 digs across 12 matches since the start of October, averaging 4.72 per set. Canedo also has 79 assists and 20 service aces this season, ranking second on the team in aces, and has accumulated 870 digs in her two seasons at UNM, leaving her 130 shy of 1,000 as a Lobo.

HOSFELD AT THE HELM
In his first head coaching job since he transformed Baylor into an NCAA Tournament team from 1996-2004, Brian Hosfeld brings more than three decades of success across the collegiate, international and club levels to the Land of Enchantment. Most recently, he helped Wichita State compile an 81-46 record over four seasons as the Shockers’ associate head coach, highlighted by an AAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024. Hosfeld previously became Baylor’s winningest head coach with 129 victories, leading the Bears to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. His championship pedigree also includes a 1993 national title as an assistant at Long Beach State and three consecutive Big 12 championships as an assistant at Texas (2004-10). The Longhorns reached three straight NCAA Final Fours with Hosfeld on staff, including the 2009 national championship match, while posting a 186-33 record in that span. He also touts extensive USA Volleyball experience, including a silver medal at the World University Games.

MEET THE STAFF
Hosfeld has no shortage of experience on his first staff at UNM, with over 80 years of coaching and playing experience between Associate Head Coaches Jeremiah “Jeri” Estes and Patrick Sullivan and Assistant Coach Katie Keiper.

ESTES: Jeremiah Estes brings an extensive international background to Albuquerque after coaching championship programs across Europe, Asia and the United States. His career includes national titles in Switzerland, European Champions League success in Russia and an NCAA championship at Long Beach State, along with experience working with both the U.S. and Russian national teams. Estes has coached more than 40 Olympians and most recently helped Southern reach its first conference championship match in more than 25 years. 

SULLIVAN: Patrick Sullivan brings experience from coaching stops at Bradley, Northern Iowa, Long Beach State and Golden West College, contributing in recruiting, scouting, player development and program operations. At Bradley, he helped the Braves’ middle blockers make notable gains in offensive efficiency and blocking production within the Missouri Valley Conference, while his time at Golden West included a state championship as co-head coach. Sullivan also founded and directed Stealth Volleyball, where he developed and placed athletes across multiple NCAA levels, and has worked as a recruiting coordinator and private trainer. 

KEIPER: Katie Keiper joins the Lobos after building more than 15 years of experience as a player and coach across the high school, club, collegiate and international levels. Most recently, she coached U17 and U18 teams with Great Plains Volleyball Club and led Eisenhower High School, earning Oklahoma Coaches Association Region 4 Coach of the Year honors in 2024. Her previous coaching stops include T3 VBC, 208 VBC, Gonzaga Preparatory School and College Prep Academy Volleyball Club. Keiper also brings an international edge after competing with the Lakenheath U.S. Air Force Women’s Team in England, coaching the All-Air Force European Women’s Team to gold and playing professionally on the UK Pro Beach Tour and with VLA Team Sakura. 

INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION
UNM’s 16-player roster features seven different nationalities, with players hailing from the United States, Brazil, China, Finland, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine. Four of the Lobos’ seven newcomers hail from outside the U.S.

Additionally, first-year outside Aylin Ravell (Bedford, Texas) was born in Mexico and competes for Mexico internationally.

NEW FACES IN THE MW
After Grand Canyon joined the Mountain West for volleyball last season, three new teams join the league in 2026 – UTEP, Hawai’i and UC Davis. 

UNM is 36-9 against UTEP all-time but hadn’t faced the Miners since 2022 until two weekends ago. The Lobos have won eight of the last 10 over UTEP.

The Lobos are now 3-0 against UC Davis, with a three-set neutral-site sweep of the Aggies in 2005 as the lone meeting between the two teams before this season.

They’re 0-13 against Hawai’i in a series that dates back to 1982, last meeting over a decade ago in 2014 when they fell 3-1 in Honolulu. The two schools were both members of the WAC (now known as the UAC) at the same time from 1979-1999.