Head coach Jeff Nelson’s 400th win will have to wait following New Mexico’s 3-2 loss in the final game of the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge on Saturday.
On the national stage, senior middle blocker Simone Henderson had a career night against Nelson’s alma mater during the televised game on ESPN3. Despite her 21 kills on 35 total attempts, the Lobos couldn’t capitalize in the final three sets of the contest.
UNM took a 2-0 advantage against Ball State by scores of 25-18 and 25-16. However, the Lobos couldn’t win any of the following three sets to sweep the tournament on the Cardinals’ home court.
Nelson, a member of the 1986 Ball State men’s team, couldn’t find a way to get his team over the final hump of the tournament.
In the third set the Lobos found themselves in a deep hole and had difficulty climbing back into the contest as they fell 25-20.
The fourth game was by far the closest set. Ball State managed to sneak ahead of New Mexico with a 23-22 lead. UNM didn’t go down without a fight, as both teams had a chance to put the game away with set points.
The intense battle in the fourth favored the Cardinals, who were able to outlast the Lobos for a 29-27 victory. With a quick break in action, set five turned out to be a tight contest as well.
UNM raced out of the gates and appeared to be on the right track after an 8-6 lead. But just like the prior two sets, errors plagued New Mexico as the team couldn’t put the Cardinals away on their home floor.
Ball State (3-0) battled back to facilitate a two-point advantage after switching sides in the final set and wouldn’t give up the lead again, coming away with a 15-13 lead.
Ball State’s defense certainly picked up in the final three sets of the tournament on national television, not allowing the Lobos to hit above .200 in either set. UNM hit .400 and above in the first two easy victories.
Ball State’s Kelly Hopkins tied Henderson for the match-high 21 kills, but Henderson had better success with a .571 hitting percentage. Hopkins did muster the most points on the night, with 26.5 total points after assisting on seven blocks.
Redshirt senior UNM setter Hannah Johnson was not to blame for UNM’s stumble in the final three sets. The senior put together 57 assists and had six kills from the unlikely position close to the net.
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Both Johnson and Henderson were named to the all-tourney team.
Although the Lobos wanted to come away with a trophy and reach a milestone mark in Nelson’s career, the team has illustrated its depth with three players over 32 kills in just three matches.
Junior outside hitter Devanne Sours, who came into the third game of the tournament with the most kills on the team, had a rough go in the final match. She had eight kills on 33 attempts and eight errors on the night.
Freshman Mercedes Pacheco started in 11 of the 12 sets played over the weekend, and she found some success in the backcourt. Pacheco dug out 39 balls in the 11 sets, claiming the most digs-per-set ratio.
New Mexico (2-1) will have something to build from as they move ahead to focus on The Lobo Classic. UNM’s home opening tournament will kick off on Friday at 4 p.m.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at
assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter at @Liam_CE.
