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The New Mexico volleyball team achieved its 10th sweep of the season Saturday during the annual Dig Pink match.
Going into the game, head coach Jeff Nelson wanted his team to dominate from the start, and not allow Nevada (2-20, 0-10 MWC) a chance to come back. The Lobos accomplished just that, winning each set by at least nine points.
“We did a better job with the ball,” Nelson said. “We got 10 blocks, which is really solid for a 3-set match.”
UNM (17-4, 7-3 MWC) had its highest hitting percentage of the year in front of 1,537 fans, the majority of whom wore bright pink shirts in support of breast cancer awareness. Nelson said he was impressed with the play of his team’s freshmen throughout the game.
The first match set the tone for UNM. Nevada was unable to get anything going offensively, hitting for a negative percentage.
The Lobos, on the other hand, didn’t have any offense issues in the first match. They were able to pass the ball well and place it on the other team’s side of the net.
UNM held on to an early lead and won the first set 25-11.
The second set went just as smoothly. UNM showed off its hustling ability, especially on the defensive side of the ball in the second set. When plays would break down for Nevada, UNM made them pay for it.
The Lobos cruised through the second set with a 25-16 victory, the closest set of the game.
The team showed no signs of slowing down in the third set. All of Nevada’s errors were highlighted in the 25-12 blowout.
Nelson said the sweep over Nevada showcased the talent that the Lobos have in their outside hitters.
“I thought our outsides really did the best job for us,” Nelson said. “Both the left and right side has terminated for us.”
Nelson instructed his team to pick up their tempo. Playing fast and staying ahead was what the Lobos looked to improve on in the match.
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Freshman outside hitter Julia Warren dominated the right side for the Lobos. Of her 14 attempts, 10 came smashing off the hardwood.
“Everyone was flowing today,” Warren said. “All in all, it was a good effort by everyone.”
Warren was pleased by the team’s sticking to the game plan and playing more quickly. She attributed the win to her team’s ability to work well together while picking up the pace offensively.
“The tempo was really good today,” she said. “We are using this game to get better for the second half of the conference.”
The Lobos travel to Las Vegas, Nev. Thursday to take on UNLV (12-8, 7-3 MWC).
