VOLLEYBALL
Lobos down Aggies in 4 sets
UNM gets victory No. 2 under new coach Brian Hosfeld
Score one for the new program on New Mexico's Division I volleyball block.
Nina Stanojevic and Reagan Miller combined for 31 kills and the University of New Mexico put on a strong Labor Day performance in a 3-1 victory over rival New Mexico State on Monday night at the Pit. The set scores were 25-14, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-19.
The Lobos rose to the occasion in front of an announced 2,544 fans 鈥� UNM's largest home crowd since 2016 鈥� and picked up win No. 2 for new coach Brian Hosfeld. It came in a hard-fought match against a proven and successful Aggies team led by 29th-year coach Mike Jordan, who has 602 career victories to his credit.
Despite having to work on a holiday, the Lobos were all smiles as they acknowledged fans after the win.
"New Mexico State is always a big match for us," Miller said, "and the crowd was amazing tonight. Our fans were loud, they supported us and were very engaged all night. I don't know if I've played in front of a home crowd like this. It was a great experience."
The Lobos are playing all of their home matches at the Pit this season for the first time in recent memory. So far, the move has been beneficial. UNM drew more than 1,200 fans for an exhibition and its home opener against Cal Baptist, but Monday's crowd took things to a different level.
"That was great," Hosfeld said. "I'd love to see that kind of crowd consistently. I think it raised our level of play and the fans kind of pushed our players through when things got tight."
Things were actually tight for most of the evening, with the exception of a dominant first set by the home team. The Lobos (2-3) came out firing on all cylinders, posting a .480 attack percentage in the set and polishing things off with back-to-back aces from Camila Canedo.
The Aggies (4-3) responded in set two, getting four kills from Tess Fuqua and racing to an 18-11 lead. UNM battled back, trimming the deficit to 22-21 on kills by Amanda Tremeroli and Stanojevic, but 近距离内射合集 reeled off the final four points and evened the match on an ace by Katrina Catalan.
"It was a battle," said UNM setter Madeleine Miller, who enjoyed a big night with 43 assists, five kills, seven digs and a strong performance from the service line. "New Mexico State has some high flyers, but I felt like we did a good job holding our own."
UNM led 17-16 in a tight fourth set when Stanojevic and Miller sparked a key rally. Stanojevic slammed home a kill and added a service ace, followed by Miller stuff block that pushed the Lobos' lead to 22-17. Miller later clinched the set by slamming down an 近距离内射合集 overpass at the net.
UNM held a small lead for most of the fourth set and pulled away late after Madeleine Miller scored consecutive points on well-placed setter dumps. A quick-set smash by Reagan Miller pushed the Lobos to match point, the Aggies were guilty of a back-row attack on the clinching point.
The Lobos were coming off a five-set loss to No. 23 Colorado and will face an even stiffer challenge this weekend when they travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the powerhouse Cornhuskers and nationally ranked Georgia Tech and Baylor in a three-day tournament.
"We played our hearts out against a ranked team in Colorado," Reagan Miller said, "and I think that really helped us start coming together. We've got a lot of new pieces, but I feel like our coaches are doing a good job getting us on the same page. Now we just have to find consistency and tonight was a good start."
