by Allison Woodward
Daily Lobo
Out of the gym and onto the court, the UNM volleyball team is ready for action. Saturday the Lobos held their first scrimmage of the season, in the annual Cherry/ Silver match at Johnson Center.
In front of an audience of family, friends and peers, the Lobos proved they are ready to play hardball, even against each other.
Head coach Kelley Sliva McKee said she was impressed with her players' performance.
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"Our serving was awesome," Sliva McKee said. "The girls were very aggressive and they controlled the net well."
Running a faster-tempo offense this year, the Lobos look as though they will be tough competitors in the Mountain West this season. The new offensive strategy has proven to be a strong point.
Senior outside hitter Anna Reines was on top of her game with 15 kills, two single blocks and two service aces. Playing alongside Reines on the Cherry team, freshman Jennifer Heasty had nine kills, five digs and two aces.
This year's squad features many new faces, returning only three starters, Reines, Monica Meihack and Chelsea Sondrup; however, this should not pose a disadvantage. With 10 freshmen on the roster, there is potential for team improvement.
The new players are already making an impact, and Reines is very excited about the new youth.
"It is fun to finally have enough people to get to scrimmage each other," she said.
On the ball for the Silver team were freshmen middle blockers Jessica Jensen and Brandy Atwater, with seven and eight kills, respectively.
Freshman Lisa Dick took on the challenging defensive role of libero in the scrimmage. Digging kill attempts and stopping serves, Dick proved she is ready to play.
She was very pleased with her own and her teammates' performances.
"It is great to see that our practices have paid off and that we are learning and using those practices on the court," Dick said.
Freshman weak-side hitter Kelley Therkelsen and middle blocker Megan Morris performed like experienced defensive weapons, and will be a threat on the block. Sondrup is also an aggressive defender as she set the single season block-assist record last year. She also accumulated a match-high 14 digs on the scrimmage.
The serving for the Lobos this year appears to be at its best with freshman Valerie Finch and Meihack.
Even though the girls were alternating between Cherry and Silver teams, the Cherry team ended up on top, winning the first three games in a row. The resulting scores were 30-28, 30-24, and 30-26.
Audibly communicating with one another throughout the entire match, the Lobos proved to have a true unity among each other.
UNM starts the season on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The Lobos will travel to Fresno State. UNM's first match will be against Youngstown State. Saturday the Lobos will face Cal Poly at noon and Idaho State at 5 p.m.
