New Mexico will play like a team with something to prove this year.
Despite limping to the finish line with multiple injuries last year, the Lobos finished among the top four teams in the conference. This year: UNM has been picked to finish fifth.
“We have three all-conference players, the most players returning, and two kids on the preseason (All-Mountain West) team,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “We’re going to play with a big chip on our shoulders and make them play like they’ve got something to prove.”
Senior setter Hannah Johnson and junior outside slugger Julia Warren were the two players named to the preseason all-conference squad, the conference announced Thursday.
When asked about receiving the award, Johnson had no idea she had been named a recipient of preseason honors.
“It’s a big honor and I have some big shoes to fill with the other phenomenal setters in our conference,” Johnson said. “I just have to bring my A-game every single day, in practice and on the court, in order to make my team successful.”
When Warren heard about being named to the preseason, she said she doesn’t pay attention to individual awards. However, Warren did say she was not thrilled the conference voted her squad to finish fifth among the other Mountain West teams.
“I think being picked fifth is kind of a little dagger,” Warren said. “We’re going to use it as motivation every day going into our season opener.”
UNM and Colorado State are the only two teams to have more than one player named to the preseason award predictions. Even with two premier players in the league, losing last year’s standout Chantale Riddle was something voters could not get past.
Although Nelson said the squad is going to use the preseason prediction as motivation, the head coach also added that he felt snubbed.
“I thought that was an interesting choice after bringing six starters back,” Nelson said. “I guess people thought Chantale was our whole team.”
Six-time defending champion, Colorado State was named atop the Mountain West in the polls, snagging seven first place votes and 97 points overall. The closest contender is UNLV and Boise State, after voters combined to give the teams 83 points in the preseason rankings. UNLV received two first place predictions, while Boise ended up with only one.
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Wyoming nabbed one first-place vote, but the remaining voters gave them a fourth place finish with 77 points. UNM is 10 points away from Wyoming, as the Lobos only received 67 points and no first place nominees.
There is no doubt the Lobos face an uphill battle after losing such a workhorse on the right side, but Nelson is confident the balance of his squad complimented by the depth of his team, is something he hasn’t had in a long time.
The depth of Nelson’s team shined through on Thursday night during the intrasquad scrimmage. Cherry was filled with six of UNM’s returning starters and Silver required assistant coach JJ Glavan to fill a hole in the rotation.
Silver ended up beating the Cherry squad 2-1 in the three set showcase. Although Cherry was loaded with three all-conference award recipients, the Silver team was not intimidated and some pleaded their case for a starting spot.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reach at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
