2023-11-07 21:47:52
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With four games left in the regular season, New Mexico Volleyball is set for its final homestand at the Johnson Center this week with matchups once morest Fresno State on Nov. 9 and Nevada on Nov. 11.
Saturday’s match at the Johnson Center will be Senior Day, with seven senior members of this year’s Lobo squad — Kaitlynn Biassou, Uxue Guereca, Emma Smith, Athina Dimitriadis, Mattison Matthews, Melissa Walden and Kali Wolf — honored pregame.
The Lobos (17-8, 9-5 MW) sit in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings with Colorado State (15-10, 9-5) and Fresno State (15-10, 9-5) following a 1-1 week that saw them complete a season sweep of Boise State last Thursday in four sets (25-20, 21-25, 25-16, 25-16) before falling to Utah State in straight sets (17-25, 24-26, 20-25) in Logan on Saturday. They’ll face the Bulldogs on Thursday at home before taking on the Rams on the road on Nov. 16 – both matches might have seeding implications for the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 22-24, where the top six teams earn a bid but the top two get a first-round bye.
Should the Lobos crack 10 wins in conference play this week, it would be most since 2015. 11 would be most since 2014, 12 would be most since 2010, and 13 would be most ever in MW play.
UNM’s .680 winning percentage overall and .643 mark in conference play are the highest of Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar’s tenure – the Lobos lead the conference in digs (15.28/s) and opponent hitting (.186) in conference play, ranking second in blocks (2.66/s). They rank No. 34 and No. 27 in the nation in digs and opponent hitting, respectively.
The Lobos moved up in the RPI for the fifth time in the last six weeks following their 1-1 week, clocking in at No. 101 in Monday’s rankings – the fourth-best RPI in the Mountain West. The Lobos tout the best road winning percentages in the Mountain West and Rank Top-50 in the NCAA at 8-2 in true road matchups (.800).
Both matches will be broadcast via the MW Network, with live stats available via golobos.com/vbstats — follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for scores, highlights, gameday content and more.
NEW MEXICO (17-8, 9-5 MW) vs. FRESNO STATE (15-10, 9-5 MW)
Thurs, Nov. 9 | 6:30 p.m. MT | Johnson Center (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)
NEW MEXICO (17-8, 9-5 MW) vs. NEVADA (7-18, 3-11 MW)
Sat, Nov. 11 | 1 p.m. MT | Johnson Center (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Live Stats | Stream (MW Network)
ALL-TIME SERIES
UNM is 18-3 once morest Nevada all-time, having won 9 of the last 10 meetings and five of the six meetings at the Johnson Center. UNM has the edge in the season series, having defeated the Wolfpack in five sets in Reno.
After dropping a four-set match at Fresno on Sep. 23 the Lobos trail the all-time series 17-18, but they’ve won 4 of the last 6 – the loss snapped a streak of three straight Lobo wins dating back to 2021.
UNM dispatched both teams in straight sets in their last meetings in 2022.
LOBOS STAYING HOT
Sitting at 9-5 in MW play with four games to go, UNM is currently off to its best 14-game start in conference play under Coach Newman-Gonchar and best since 2013. The Lobos’ win percentage so far this season of .680 is also the best under Newman-Gonchar, with a 8-2 record in true road games. Including the 2023 season, Newman-Gonchar has posted a 64.6% win percentage over the last three seasons, with 20 wins in 2021 marking the most for the program since 2013. The Lobos have already matched their win total from the 2022 season (17-12, 8-10 MW).
FIRST TIME AROUND
The Lobos defeated Nevada in a five-set thriller (25-18, 19-25, 26-24, 20-25, 15-7) to open up Mountain West play on Sep. 21 – they haven’t had another conference match go to five sets since. They fell to Fresno State in four (23-25,24-26,25-21,19-25) on Sep. 23 following surrendering late leads in each of the first two sets.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING…
The Lobos rank No. 27 in the nation in opponent hitting average (.164), No. 34 in digs per set (16.22) and No. 31 in blocks per set (2.54) – they lead the Mountain West in the former two and rank No. 2 in blocks.
Elizabeth Woods is No. 63 in the nation in blocks per set (1.20) and Uxue Guereca is No. 125 in kills per set (3.46) and No. 98 in points per set (4.07).
RPI UPDATE
The Lobos moved up in the RPI for the fifth time in the last six weeks following their 1-1 week, clocking in at No. 101 in Monday’s rankings – the fourth-best RPI in the Mountain West. The Lobos tout the best road winning percentages in the Mountain West and Rank Top-50 in the NCAA at 8-2 in true road matchups (.800). UNM is 12-5 once morest Top-150 RPI opponents so far this season.
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