The UNM volleyball team pulled off back-to-back come-from-behind victories on Saturday at Johnson Gym to capture the championship of the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic.
After topping Delaware 25-20, 25-13, 25-21 Friday night in their season opener, the Lobos rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to edge Portland State on Saturday afternoon.
Then, in the night cap, UNM dug itself out of a fifth-set hole to defeat University of California, Santa Barbara in the championship, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-13.
“What an exciting weekend for us,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We pulled through to win two tough matches against two really good programs. I couldn’t be happier.”
On Friday, UNM relied on the heavy hitting of junior middle Taylor Hadfield, who notched 10 kills for the Lobos in the opener. Senior middle Anna Lehne and junior
outside hitter Lisa Meeter each added seven.
“Offensively, we have so many hitters who can step in and play,” Lehne said. “It balances our offense and keeps the opposing team guessing, because we’re going to a different player each time.”
In Saturday’s first match, the Portland State Vikings cruised to a 2-1 set lead and a 21-20 advantage behind the dominant hitting of Whitney Phillips, who finished with a game-high 25 kills. But UNM rallied late in the fourth, thanks to crucial hitting and serving errors by Portland State and key blocks from Hadfield and sophomore middle Ashley Rhoades, to force a fifth set.
In the deciding game of the match, the Lobos and Vikings played even to 12-12, until Lehne and Morris rallied for kills to put the nail in Portland State’s coffin.
Lehne finished the match with a team-high 17 kills, while Morris added 11.
“We showed what we can do in close situations,” Lehne said. “It was nerve-racking, but our team has the ability to dig in and give it that little bit extra to win.”
During the championship match, UNM and UC Santa Barbara battled evenly to two sets apiece. The Gauchos looked like they were on their way to the championship, taking an 11-8 lead in the fifth game. But the Lobos weren’t willing to give up their title hopes, putting together a 6-1 run to lead 14-12. After a Santa Barbara kill, Rhoades blocked Gauchos ace Rebecca Saraceno on match point to clinch the title.
“After Ashley came up with that block, there was so much emotion,” sophomore libero Allison Buck said. “She fell to her knees, and the whole team piled on top of her. It was a great way to win.”
Buck led the Lobos defense with 51 digs on the weekend. Junior setter Jade Michaelsen had 108 assists to bring her career total to 2,036, surpassing all-American Pauline Manser to crack the top 10 on the UNM career-assists list. For their efforts, Buck and Michaelsen were named to the all-tournament team. Lehne earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor.
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“It was definitely a team win,” Michaelsen said. “Our offense is doing great right now, and everyone is hitting really well and doing their part. I feel like I can give the ball to anyone, and they’ll get the job done.”
