Lobos let match vs. Broncos slip away

Coming ever so close to victory made defeat sting that much more for the UNM volleyball team.

The short-handed Lobos pushed Boise State to match point in the fourth set of Saturday’s Mountain West battle at Johnson Center but were unable to close the deal.

Instead they walked away frustrated after the Broncos rallied for a hard-fought 3-2 victory. The set scores were 25-14, 17-25, 19-25, 26-24 and 15-8.

UNM was without senior Julia Warren (right knee sprain) for a second straight match and missed her presence in a wildly uneven performance. The Lobos (10-5, 1-1) played aggressively throughout the middle three sets but struggled to get much of anything done in Sets 1 and 5.

In the end it came down to one missed opportunity for UNM, which served for the match and had a swing to finish it leading 24-23 in Set 4. Lobo setter Carson Heilborn opted to tap a soft shot over the net, which the Broncos (10-5, 1-1) easily handled. Boise State scored three straight points on two Sierra Nobley kills and a UNM serve-reception error to claim the set and a large dose of momentum.

Lobos coach Jeff Nelson was not happy that his team did not get a full swing at match point.

“Carson chose to tip a freeball dump instead of setting one of her hitters,” Nelson said. “I know she’s a young player but you can’t do that. We don’t tip on match point and that one came back to bite us.”

The Lobos, who have suffered mightily to win five-set matches the past two seasons, never recovered. Three straight UNM errors and an ace by Boise State’s Maddy O’Donnell sparked the Broncos

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to a 6-1 lead in Set 5, and the home team never got closer than a four-point margin the rest of the way.

UNM went 1-6 in five-set contests last season and dropped to 1-3 in such matches this year. New Mexico’s attack percentage in Saturday’s fifth set was negative .091.

Nobley, the Mountain West’s Preseason Player of the Year, finished with a match-high 21 kills and 16 digs, but the Lobos believed their mistakes had more to do with the outcome.

“Boise State made a great comeback and credit to them,” said Cassie House, who paced UNM with 18 kills, “but we definitely let that one slip away.

“When you get to match point and have created so much momentum, not being able to take care of it is frustrating. It comes down to leadership, and we, as seniors, take responsibility for that.”

Warren’s absence also played a role, but the teams’ respective service games loomed even larger. UNM served effectively in Sets 2 and 3, but was outplayed from the service line thereafter. Boise State had six aces, and the Lobos racked up six receptions errors in the final two sets. UNM defenders watched as five serves landed for aces during that critical span.

“We outplayed (the Broncos) in Set 4,” Nelson said. “We outhit them. We out-passed them, but four reception errors basically killed us. We’ve just got to be tougher.”

Devanne Sours finished with 16 kills for UNM, while Heilborn racked up 44 assists and 14 digs. Sabryn Roberts finished with 17 kills for Boise State.