In an intense four set game, the University of New Mexico Lobos defeated the Boise State Broncos 3-1 on Saturday, Sept. 30. Both teams came to the court ready to win, but ultimately the Lobos pulled through – adding another win to their plate.
The Broncos were the only unbeaten team in the Mountain West conference. That was until they came to New Mexico. The Lobos are now 2-2 in conference play.
Going into the match, Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar knew the Broncos were a hard team to go up against.
“We knew we were in for a fight. Boise State is a team you can never discredit. You can never count them out, they just keep coming at ‘ya,” Newman-Gonchar said.
UNM’s Uxue Guereca scored the first point of the day on a kill. Guereca continued to be on her game for the remainder of the match with a hitting percentage of .327 and 17 digs.
“The reality is, Uxue is just a player that is not gonna stop,” Newman-Gonchar said. “Good luck keeping up with players like that. You know those are the type of players that will never back down.”
Lobo Kali Wolf had five kills in the first set, helping push the Lobos through for a win. The Lobos won the first set 25-20 off a block error by Boise.
“It’s always nice to start a match off strong and dominate against the other team … credit to my team,” Wolf said in a post game interview.
In the second set, the Broncos gave the Lobos a run for their money and won 25-16.
Throughout the second set, there were seven ties between the two teams. The Lobos did not allow more than a two point lead until the Broncos scored off an attack error by the Lobos, bringing the score to 11-14.
UNM’s Athina Dimitriadis never missed an opportunity to get up and attempt to block at the net, ending the match with three solo blocks and five block assists.
The Broncos came back after a loss in the first set, ready for a fight. The second set closed on a 7-2 run by Boise.
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Coming out strong once again, Guereca earned the first point of set three for the Lobos.
Wolf continued to be strong offensively at the net. She had two kills in a row, putting the Lobos up 9-6 in set three. By the end of the match, she had 12 total kills with a hitting percentage of .257.
The Lobos were strong both offensively and defensively throughout the set, working to keep the points in their favor and pull through for a win.
“It’s really nice to see when everyone’s connecting offensively and defensively,” Wolf said.
Lobos finished off set three on a three point scoring run, winning the set 25-20.
UNM’s Libero Giselle Groe showed out in the last set. She served an ace, bringing the Lobos up 9-5 and later on had an amazing save, allowing the Lobos to maintain a five point lead against the Broncos, 14-9.
The Lobos won the set and the match on a three point scoring run to end the set 25-20. The match was won on a service ace by Guereca, closing out the day with another win for the Lobos.
After losing to Utah State earlier in the week, this was the kind of win the Lobos needed to keep fighting through conference play.
“The reality is, every single night is a fight. When you’re going down a dark, scary alleyway into a fight, you better hope you got a team like this fighting their tails off,” Newman-Gonchar said.
The Lobos will continue in conference play on Thursday, Oct. 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Francesca Cicconetti is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @fran_cicconetti.
Francesca Cicconetti is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached on Twitter @fran_cicconetti
