by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
The Lobo volleyball team's big three showed up in a big way in the Montana Invitational.
Chelsea Sondrup, Nicole Ryan and Kelly Therkelsen made the all-tournament team and were pivotal in helping the Lobos take all three matches in the tournament to win the championship, head coach Kelley McKee said.
Ryan was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
"The core of our team, Nicole Ryan, Chelsea Sondrup and Kelly Therkelsen - this weekend, they did a great job," McKee said. "Chelsea, Nicole and Kelly played some of the best volleyball in their careers."
UNM beat Montana in the championship game 3-1 Saturday. The win improved the Lobos' record to 5-2 on the season. It's the best start for UNM since 1994.
UNM clawed back from a 14-7 deficit in the first game against the Grizzlies to win 30-26.
The Lobos started slow in game two, finding themselves down 14-10.
Ryan and freshman Michelle Miller helped the team pull even at 21 with three and two kills, respectively.
Miller filled the role vacated by junior Jennifer Heasty who dislocated her shoulder before the tournament.
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The Lobos couldn't hold on, though, and fell 30-27.
UNM started off game three with a 14-6 lead behind 10 straight serves from freshman Sarah Kwasigroch.
Therkelsen put down three kills during Kwasigroch's 10 serves and Sondrup added one kill and three blocks.
UNM forced nine errors after Kwasigroch's 10 serves and took the game 30-22.
Montana came out looking to force a game five, but Therkelsen came to the rescue.
The senior dropped three kills on the Grizzlies to even the score at 23.
Montana couldn't find its momentum again, committing three errors.
Two straight Montana service errors gave the Lobos a 30-27 win to take the title.
In the match, Therkelsen had a double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs. She hit a team-high .424, chipping in four blocks and two assists as well.
Freshman Samie Weber was second on the team with 13 kills, adding three blocks and one dig.
Miller pulled her fair share of the load, putting down 12 kills and adding a dig.
Sondrup came up one kill short of a double-double with 10 blocks and nine kills.
Kwasigroch recorded two kills, two blocks, 12 digs and 49 of the team's 54 assists.
McKee said she is pleased with the way the season has shaped up.
"I'm extremely proud of our team," she said. "Our goal is to get better every time we play, and we made significant improvements this weekend. For us to win three straight on the road is a great accomplishment."
To get to the championship game, the Lobos beat University of California-Davis on Friday 3-0 and Gonzaga 3-2 on Saturday.
