After a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Mountain West last year, New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson said his volleyball squad may be deeper than ever heading into the 2015 campaign.
The Lobos began fall practices Wednesday morning with the first two-a-day practice of the season. Nelson scheduled two practices almost every day in order to get his squad ready for the season opener at the Ball State tournament beginning on August 28.
“We really only lost one position, and we have six returning starters,” Nelson said. “... I think, overall, it’s a better group.”
The three starting spots at outside hitter will be tough battles for the five candidates, he said. Depth plagued the Lobos a year ago after several injuries required Nelson to switch junior Julia Warren, one of the Lobos’ premier big hitters, to a defensive libero position.
Juniors Cassie House, Devanne Sours and Warren are returning starters in the mix to claim the big swinging positions on the outside. However, Nelson said, incoming junior transfer Marisa Doran and redshirt sophomore Ashley Kelsey also have the potential to make a case for themselves as starters at an outside hitting spot.
Sours said she is coming into this season with a lot more confidence than in her previous two seasons. She spent part of her summer in Europe as a member of the Mountain West All-Stars, a team composed of elite players from the conference. Sours and Julia Warren were both invited as members.
“It gave me a little bit of confidence to know that I can play with big-time players like that and hopefully bring that back here and help out the team,” Sours said.
Nelson said Sours is finally coming into her own as a member of the Lobos. She has portrayed more of a comfortable feel that he attributed to playing with the Mountain West All-Stars in addition to her play in UNM’s inaugural sand volleyball season.
“Devanne has won a lot of awards and stuff in high school,” Nelson said. “She is really just stepping into her prime now.”
The outside hitters are not the only ones competing for a starting spot. The Lobos have four players on the roster who can start at libero, but Nelson said he hasn’t ruled out putting Warren back at the defensive position.
Although UNM has only taken part in a handful of practices to open the season, Nelson said he is confident in numerous possible rotations to field the best possible team.
The Lobos continue to get better every year, and this year they will be able to adjust the lineup should any of the potential starters go down with an injury, Nelson said. New Mexico acquired freshman setter Carson Heilborn to complement redshirt senior Hannah Johnson and junior Lise Rugland.
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Johnson went down in the middle of the season with an ankle injury. Although the incoming senior only missed a few games, she was far from 100 percent for the majority of the season. Nelson said adding Heilborn will be a great addition to his roster as Johnson laces up in her final season as a Lobo.
Sours said she has seen a lot of good things that have come with the first practices of the season, and she anticipates a successful club this year.
“We’ve gotten a lot of time working together and doing different things,” Sours said. “Everyone is working really hard, and I feel like we’re going to be playing at a really high level next year.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
