LOBOS RETURN HOME
Up-and-down team to host Utah State at Johnson Center
The University of New Mexico volleyball team returns to the familiar Johnson Center for tonight’s game vs. Utah State.
It’s not fair to say the University of New Mexico volleyball team can’t stand prosperity. The Lobos simply haven’t been able to sustain it.
Such is coach Jeff Nelson’s assessment as UNM prepares to open Mountain West play with a home match tonight against Utah State at Johnson Center. The Lobos put some outstanding sets together and pulled out some stirring wins during the preconference portion of their schedule. They also had some forgettable moments and enter MWC competition with a 6-6 record.
“We have been tough to figure,” Nelson said. “This group has played some big-time ball and some small-time ball and the opposition hasn’t really played into it. It’s our own inconsistency, and that’s hard to understand.”
Last week’s 1-2 finish at Nebraska’s Husker Invite was as good an example as any. The Lobos did little right in a three-set loss to Missouri State, played two strong sets and captured one of them in a 3-1 loss to No. 4 Nebraska, then battled to pull out a five-set victory over Central Michigan.
The latter match illustrated one of the positives about the 2018 Lobos, who are 3-2 in fivesetters and have shown a capacity to fight.
“It’s there,” Nelson said. “We had two very good sets against Nebraska and we’ve had good results in five-set matches. But we’ve also mismanaged some sets and matches, and our hitting has been sporadic. I think we’re capable of beating anyone in the Mountain West, but we might be capable of losing to anyone if we don’t pull together.”
UNM’s first test comes tonight against Utah State (2-9), which has played numerous lengthy matches but struggled to finish. Bailey Downing and Gabbi Shumway have combined for nearly half of USU’s kills this season.
The Lobos have been more diverse on offense, with outside hitters Lauren Twitty, Tai Bierria and Carly Beddingfield all over 100 kills, while middles Victoria Spragg and Mariessa Carrasco have chipped in 65 apiece. But UNM’s overall attack percentage is just .183 while opponents are hitting .209. JOHNSON DEBUT: After playing their first three home matches at Dreamstyle Arena, the Lobos will play the rest of this season’s home schedule at Johnson Center. A large-scale construction project at the on-campus facility will limit attendance and parking, but the Pit is undergoing some remodeling, too.
“The sound system is being upgraded at the Pit,” UNM associate athletic director Ed Manzanares said, “so it won’t be available until mid-October and we’re going to keep volleyball at Johnson. It’s not ideal, but we’ll just have to make the best of it.”
UNM had tentatively planned to hold home volleyball matches at the Pit until basketball season began, but the sound system upgrade, which started Monday, changed those plans, Manzanares said.
Fans attending home matches at Johnson must enter through the main (west) entrance. Limited floor-level seating will be available for weekend matches when Johnson Center is otherwise closed, but fire code restrictions will limit seating to the upper bowl for weekday matches.