Going into New Mexico’s opening weekend, the Lobos’ goal was to garner two wins against fierce competition.
Upon leaving, head coach Jeff Nelson said UNM wanted to get four.
“We felt like if we got two wins over here this weekend, it was going to be a good weekend,” Nelson said. “Getting three wins is really good. Unfortunately, leaving we felt like we should have had four.”
UNM took two wins in both matches on Friday, taking down ASU 3-2 at noon and achieving a 5-0 sweep against Colorado Mesa later in the day.
While Friday left the Lobos with an unblemished record, Saturday was a bit tougher for New Mexico. The Lobos faced No. 17 South Carolina at 2 p.m. followed by an immediate contest against No. 6 Florida State.
New Mexico was able to win the four and five courts, to make the contest close but aside from pairs Eastyn Baleto and Marisa Doran, alongside Maddie Mayfield and Carson Heilborn, the Lobos couldn’t muster up a victory on any of the top three courts.
“Overall, it was a great weekend,” Nelson said. “… We’re 3-2 and that’s as many wins as we had all of last year.”
Against the No. 6 team in the nation, Baleto and Doran were the only team to come up with a win against FSU, dropping the match 4-1.
The Lobos quickly had to jump from Tempe, Arizona, over to Phoenix, where the Lobos would take on California in the final match of the weekend.
Nelson said he like the way his team responded to the two losses on Saturday, especially since it was such an early game at 9:30 a.m.
Again, it was the Baleto/Duran duo combined with the Mayfield/Heilborn team that set the pace for New Mexico. However, this time a Hannah Johnson/Julia Warren win gave the Lobos enough power to take the match away from Cal.
“I like what we did, bouncing back,” Nelson said. “I thought everyone was dialed in and ready to go. I think it’s the most engaged kids in our program have ever been.”
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Nelson said the push was a step in the right direction for UNM’s newest program. The team will be back in Arizona next weekend with Sunday matches against Grand Canyon and San Jose State. The Lobos will then jump over to Irvine, California to take on Irvine Valley College and Miracosta College.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
