by Kelly Brocklehurst
Daily Lobo
The Lobo volleyball team swept the Lobo Alumni team in an exhibition match Friday night.
"It was a good icebreaker," freshman Gayle Tripp said.
The Lobos dominated the match, winning straight games 30-15, 30-19, 30-23.
In game one, the Alumni scored the first point on an Ingrid Roosild kill, but a service error by Roosild tied the game.
With the score at 1-1, the Lobos scored 12 consecutive points, their longest streak of the night.
They won the game on a kill from Jennifer Heasty. Heasty led the team with 11 kills and hit .286.
The Alumni also scored the first point of game two and kept the Lobos at bay until a kill by sophomore Samie Weber tied the game at 3-3.
The Lobos broke the tie on an attack error by Alumni Maria Marion, and they never looked back.
UNM built a steady lead over the Alumni and won the game on a service error by Kailin Downs.
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"We worked well as a team," senior Chelsea Sondrup said.
In the third game, the Alumni became stronger offensively and defensively.
The Lobos scored the first four points of the game, but the Alumni tied the game when Weber made an attack error, bringing the score to 7-7.
The Alumni took the lead when Weber made her second attack error of the game.
The Lobos and the Alumni continued their battle for the lead until a Sarah Kwasigroch kill brought the score to 10-9 and gave the Lobos the lead for good.
Sondrup was third on the team with eight of the Lobos' kills. Six of those kills happened in game three. Sondrup was also second on the team with six block assists, behind junior Kelly Therkelsen, who had seven block assists. Sondrup hit .615 for the match.
The Alumni had 28 kills and was led by Vanessa Shields, who had 10 kills.
Sondrup said Friday's match will help the team prepare for the upcoming season.
"It helps us get ready for matches and to break in the freshmen," she said.
Every Lobo freshman played in the match, but Tripp stood out as the team's defensive specialist.
She will be an integral part of the team, head coach Kelley McKee said.
Tripp, a Rio Rancho High School graduate, had six digs in the match, good for third on the team.
Kwasigroch, a freshman from Palos Park, Ill., also contributed to the team's win. She had three kills, 34 assists, seven digs and one block during the game.
The Lobos had been playing against each other during practice, and they know how their teammates play, Tripp said. Friday's match allowed the Lobos to go up against big hitters, experience different shots and see what else is out there, she said.
Despite the win, there are areas the Lobos will work to improve on.
"We can always get better on our communication," Tripp said.
The team will use Friday's match to get feedback and watch videotapes of the match from a critical standpoint, McKee said. Everyone played and contributed to the match, but all can improve, she said.
