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After its season opener in Arkansas, the New Mexico volleyball team starts its home schedule today at Johnson Gym against UC Riverside, starting at 1 p.m.
The Lobos return after winning two of the three games at the University of Arkansas Invitational.
UNM swept UMKC and Northwestern State, winning the first three matches of each game. Arkansas and the Lobos stretched the match out to five sets where the Razorbacks would prevail, handing the Lobos their only loss of the tournament.
UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said the freshmen played well for their first collegiate games.
“We started three freshmen and hopefully that will help them down the road,” he said during his Tuesday press conference. “Over the weekend we were (actually) playing four freshmen, but two of them were in the same spot.”
Senior middle blocker Lexi Ross said she already has grown to trust her teammates.
“Knowing that even if I take the risk of taking the hard shot, my team is going to be behind me,” Ross said. “It made me more confident and comfortable.”
Nelson said he is excited for his team to move from a hostile environment back to Johnson Center.
“It’s a great collegiate atmosphere for volleyball,” Nelson said. “The band and the cheerleaders will be out there along with Big Louie.”
The only other time the Lobos played in front of their home crowd was during an exhibition game against Lobo volleyball alumnae.
The Lobos will face three nonconference teams again this weekend at the Sheraton Airport Lobo Classic. The Lobos have won both times the teams have met.
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“Riverside’s a team with a new coach but they are from a strong volleyball conference,” Nelson said. “We don’t know a lot about what they’ve got.”
The Lobos’ next game will be against Idaho State, beginning at 7:30 p.m. UNM holds a 4-3 series advantage over the Bengals.
“I think this will be a good first Friday night home match for us,” Nelson said. “They are a team that is picked to win their conference this year.”
In the final game of the tournament, the Lobos will face Georgia Tech for the first time, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Volleyball Friday
vs. UC Riverside,
1 p.m.
Idaho State 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
vs. Georgia Tech, 2 p.m.
Johnson Center
