Crucial errors down the stretch hindered New Mexico’s five-set bid in the title game at the Days Inn and Suites Lobo Invitational against LSU on Saturday night.
After taking the first matches against Cal State Northridge and Long Island University Brooklyn, the Lobos hit a lull for a 3-2 loss against the Tigers in the final game the squad will play this season at WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
Head coach Jeff Nelson said his group’s focus wasn’t there in the tournament’s final match, which led to significant changes following the second set.
“Our heads lost that game. Physically, we won all but one stat,” Nelson said. “It’s the second match of the year where, if you looked at the box and took away the scores, you’d think we won. But we didn’t because our heads got in the way, and it’s unfortunate.”
The Lobos picked a poor night to enter the arena mentally unprepared. With 3,267 fans at the arena — the 13th most in program history — setter Hannah Johnson said she was doing everything in her power to keep the white-out crowd engaged on high school night.
“I just really wanted to get the crowd involved, get the high schoolers to see what good volleyball can be, and we had tons of people here,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to make a good impression.”
To cut down on errors, starters Mercedes Pacheco and Simone Henderson did not survive the intermission after set two and were benched for the remaining three sets. Outside hitter Ashley Kelsey was asked to exchange her libero jersey, and defensive specialist Stephanie Chavez took over the defensive position’s responsibilities.
“We’re in the same position we were in last year, not knowing who we’re starting each match,” Nelson said. “We’ve had three different liberos in the past four matches. We’re at game 12, and I don’t think we should be doing that.”
Things were awfully tight in the first set. In game one there were 13 ties, six lead changes, and neither team was able to muster up a lead larger than two.
However, after taking a late 23-22 lead, UNM committed a costly hitting error which allowed the Tigers to tie the set. Two consecutive kills later, the Tigers were celebrating an early 1-0 advantage.
The first set loss certainly could not have been placed on the shoulders of Devanne Sours. The local outside hitter took 21 swings, 10 of which landed in bounds off of the hardwood. Sours only committed one error in the first set alongside her ten kills.
“In game one, the rest of the team came out slow,” Nelson said. “If we could have gotten a little production out of one of our other hitters, we probably would have won game one and probably wouldn’t be having the same conversation we’re having right now.”
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Set two played a lot like the first. UNM took a late lead 16-14, but two service errors and four team errors gave LSU a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 advantage on the night.
Nelson’s shake-up in the third provided a wake-up call for his squad. The team came out firing in a 6-2 advantage and made sure to put the third game away with a late lead.
However, the shaky finish in the fourth set did not extinguish UNM’s hopes, as LSU made critical errors down the stretch of the fourth set.
It appeared the Lobos had run out of gas in the fifth set, trailing 9-4 in the final set of the title game. However, Johnson kept her team motivated and fired up, sparking a 6-0 run for a late 10-9 lead.
The setter ended the night with 46 assists, seven kills, and a career-high 26 digs. Johnson said her goal was not to let anyone score on her, which forced her to crouch down and dig some tough balls off the court. Sours also added a career performance, obtaining 22 total kills, her personal best.
UNM fell behind again after their late push, but managed an 11-11 tie late in the 15-point deciding set. It was LSU with the final push, and the final four points put a halt to New Mexico’s comeback bid.
“It’s just a tough one to grasp right now,” Johnson said.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
