New Mexico’s volleyball team expects to bring momentum into its two conference road matches with Boise State on Thursday and Air Force on Saturday.
The Lobos (11-11, 1-7 MW) just put an end to their seven-match losing skid, having gained confidence after snatching a win from Rio Grande rival New Mexico State Aggies on Sunday.
Now the Lobos, after two intense weeks of matches, take aim at a chance to end their conference losing streak when the team faces the Broncos (15-6, 6-2) and the Falcons (9-12, 0-8).
The past two weeks were hard for New Mexico, not only because of the losing streak — the program’s longest in over a decade — but also due to the schedule; the Lobos played five matches in 10 days.
“It was a little bit crazy,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “But I’m happy to say we’re in better health and starting to play better volleyball again.”
The return of senior captain Julia Warren on court after nursing an injury provided leadership for the team as she contributed with solid defensive and offensive play.
“Warren has been able to play in the front row now for a few matches,” Nelson said. “She is probably about 85 percent ... having that kind of leadership in there that we need.”
Cassie House has been the star of the team with some strong performances this year, and she recently reached a career milestone by surpassing 1,000 kills.
“Cassie has been playing really well,” Nelson said. “She is on top of the conference, second in kills.”
House has extended that total to 1,050 kills, which is second among all active Mountain West players, trailing only Sierra Nobley of Boise State, who ranks first with 1,272 kills.
“I feel like we’re starting to play a lot better ball now that we’re getting our team back on track and getting people in the positions they belong in,” Nelson said.
Setter Lise Rugland will be expected to continue distributing the ball to the right people coming off a career-high 31 assist performance on Sunday.
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Libero Ashley Kelsey has also been key, helping bolster the defensive line with an average of 4.20 digs per set, second best in the Mountain West.
Both opponents present challenges for the Lobos, but the team should have confidence with their strong performance in the first half of conference play.
New Mexico picked up its lone conference win against Air Force on Sept. 22, as Boise State escaped with a 3-2 victory in an intense match two days later.
“We had a really close match with them the first time around without Warren,” Nelson said. “We lost in the fifth set and had chances to win the match in fourth, so I think we’ve got some good fuel to go up there and play well.”
Boise State is a tough place to play, and Nelson said with the football team playing at home on Thursday as well, he expects the environment to be a little crazy.
Boise State has a four-match winning streak, and has only two losses in conference play. The Broncos rank second in assists, kills and blocks, and lead the Mountain West in digs as a team.
“They have great middles, really strong outside hitters,” Nelson said in an interview on Sunday. “But if we can play ball like we did today, we can have success.”
One of Boise State’s assets is its strong offensive line. Sierra Nobley has contributed many kills, and tops the conference at 4.36 per set. Teammate Jaymee-Lee Bulda‘s 11.33 assists per set is ranked second in the conference.
The Broncos’ Maddi Osburn highlights the team’s defensive line with the highest digs average — 5.04 per set.
Air Force is playing the role of cellar-dweller in the conference with a young team made up of underclassmen. The Falcons also have a first-year head coach, Marc Swindle, who has a connection to the UNM — he is a former New Mexico men’s volleyball player, and volunteer assistant with the women’s team.
“We’re hoping to get another win up there in Colorado Springs and keep moving forward and finish on a high note,” Nelson said.
The Falcons have had strong performances in non-conference plays, opening the season with 9-4, but the team has dropped its last eight decisions, all of which were against Mountain West opponents.
Sophomores Elizabeth Pennington and Sarah Hellman make up a formidable offensive line for the Falcons. Pennington (304 kills, 3.71/set) and Hellman (9.80 assists/set) both rank fifth in the Mountain West.
“Air Force is looking for a win, they are hungry,” Nelson said. “We’ve got to stay on our game and take care of this.”
Bo Yu is a sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country and women’s volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.
