Large crowd's cheers fall on deaf ears

A record 3,831 fans jammed into Johnson Center to watch the UNM volleyball team take on Stanford on Sunday.
But not even the loud cheers of the seventh largest crowd in program history could throw off the fourth-ranked Cardinal, who rolled over the Lobos in three sets 25-14, 25-18, 25-20.

With the loss, UNM fell to 2-1 on the season and finished in second place at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. The Lobos defeated Tulane and Pepperdine on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

“We started the weekend with two wins over two top-notch programs,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “I thought we would play loose (on Sunday). We really had nothing to lose. We shouldn’t have felt any pressure. But we came out flat.”
In set one, Stanford jumped out to a 13-3 lead and never looked back. Paced by All-American Alix Klineman, who notched six kills in the opening set, the Cardinal ran away with the set 25-14.

“We didn’t have an answer to their firepower,” Lobo senior middle blocker Taylor Hadfield said. “We came out timid. Our hitting just didn’t have the oomph that they did. We were trying too many off-speed and tip shots, whereas they were coming at us guns blazing from the start.”

The Lobos managed to tie the second set at eight. UNM stayed within two at 18-16, but then Stanford went on a rampage and took the set 25-18.

“During the break, coach sat us down and told us not to worry so much about the outcome,” junior outside hitter Kelly Williamson said. “He wanted us to focus on playing good volleyball, competing to the best of our abilities and leaving everything out on the court.”

The Lobos put up more of a fight in the third set.

Facing match point at 15-24, the Lobos rallied off a string of five points thanks to a Stanford hitting error, two kills by senior outside hitter Lisa Meeter and two blocks by Hadfield. But Stanford’s Cassidy Lichtman and Carly Wopat blocked Meeter to put down the final point.

“We got better as the match progressed, which is somewhat encouraging,” Nelson said. “But against as good of a team as Stanford is, you can’t start out that slow and expect to win. You can’t put yourself in that kind of a hole.”
Williamson and Hadfield were named to the All-Tournament team, along with Pepperdine’s Kim Hill and Stanford’s Lichtman, Wopat and Gabi Ailes. Klineman was named the Tournament MVP with a game-high 19 kills.

The Lobos were paced by Williamson and Meeter, who each got 5 kills. Hadfield and junior middle blocker Ashley Rhoades added four apiece. Junior libero Allison Buck posted 10 digs, and senior setter Jade Michaelsen handed out 16 assists.
“The main thing I was disappointed in was our passing,” Nelson said. “Our passing broke down, and we always have solid passing. We weren’t able to run our fast offense effectively, and that really hurt us.”