The Lobo women's volleyball team won the Albuquerque Marriott Lobo Volleyball Classic this weekend with victories over Hartford, UTEP and Weber State.
Third-year head coach Kelley McKee said her team's play over the weekend could be a turning point for the team.
"I think as the tournament got longer, we got better," McKee said. "Tonight was probably a crucial turning point for our team as far as them making up their minds to engage and take their level of play to the next level."
Weber State didn't go down easy Saturday night, winning the first two games 30-25 and 30-18. The Lobos didn't take the lead until midway through the third game after a halftime wake-up call from McKee.
Senior Adah Burke, one of four UNM players named to the All-Tournament team, said Saturday's win showed the team's character and desire to win.
"We came out really flat," Burke said. "It was kind of disappointing to lose the two games the way that we did. But just the fact that we were able to come back down 0-2 and win 3-2 shows that we have character."
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Weber State was in control of the third game until sophomore Kelly Therkelsen attacked an overpass and gave the Lobos their first lead of the match. Therkelsen had 14 kills for the night. From that point on, momentum was on their side, and the Lobos' solid defense at the net helped them to a 30-25 win.
Despite five missed serves in the fourth game, the Lobos managed to keep their stride and came out on top, 30-20. In the fifth and final game, the Lobos never looked back, jumping to an 8-3 lead thanks to multiple errors by Weber State.
A hitting error by Therkelsen tied the game at 11 until sophomore Chelsea Sondrup came up big in the middle and pounded one into the floor. Weber's Kaylie Kortsen answered right back with a kill down the line and tied it up at 12.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it wasn't enough for the win, and the Lobos took the match with a decisive ace serve from tourney MVP Nicole Ryan.
"It feels great," Ryan said. "It's awesome. It's really nice to know that my other teammates were on the team as well, so it was a really big group effort all around."
The Lobos faced the Hartford Hawks on Friday and put them away in three. Saturday afternoon, the Lobos played their toughest opponent of the tournament, the UTEP Miners. The Miners were the only team going into the tourney with a winning record. The Lobos won in four for their second victory of the weekend.
"We just want to get better every time we step on the court," McKee said. "I think we're in a good lineup right now, and we've got everyone healthy and ready to go. It's just a matter of getting better every day."
The Lobos are 6-4 this season. Conference play begins on the road at Wyoming on Saturday.
