Two opponents will battle against New Mexico before the Lobos’ highly anticipated match against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday night.
The Lobo Classic begins on Thursday against Arkansas, followed by an exhibition on Friday against Montreal. However, many fans have their calendars circled for Saturday’s matchup against the defending national champion Cornhuskers.
“We chose to bring these matches, but particularly Saturday night’s match, into the Pit to really give our local volleyball community a good look at what’s out there and what’s happening,” head coach Jeff Nelson said. “Nebraska won the national championship, they’ve dropped one set so far this year and they’re really good.”
Nelson said the Lobos (5-2) are excited to play in WisePies Arena in the team’s home away from home game, adding that it was an easy sell to get the top team in the country out to play against his squad.
The head coach said there are many differences in the way his players will be seeing the ball in the basketball arena, as opposed to Johnson Center.
“The bleachers just keep going. There’s nowhere where you get a stopping point, which is how you gauge your serves and your passing,” Nelson said. “(WisePies Arena) is just really different. The depth perception is just unbelievably different when you can’t pinpoint a steady spot.”
New Mexico has been practicing all week at WisePies Arena in order to get acclimated to the floor where fans will not be right beside the sidelines, as is the case in Johnson Center.
As far as goals, UNM would like to win all three matches and have an undefeated weekend for the first time this season, but Nelson said the priority is focusing on what the Lobos need to do to improve, something he said he has witnessed already in the first couple tournaments of the year.
“The things that we’re really looking for this weekend from our group is that we’ve got to be really strong on the defensive side of the ball,” Nelson said. “We’ve got to touch a lot of balls blocking and dig a lot of balls.”
In addition to solid defensive efforts, Nelson said he would like to see his outside hitters — led by seniors Julia Warren, Cassie House and Devanne Sours — perform with minimal errors.
The team has not hesitated to bring out the youth when a senior leader is not playing well, as freshman Lauren Twitty has seen quite a bit of playing time in her first year as a Lobo.
Nebraska (4-0) is led by two of its own outside hitters, senior Kadie Rolfzen and sophomore Mikaela Foecke. The two are listed at 6-feet-3-inches and are both hitting outstanding percentages — Rolfzen (44 kills) with a .340 mark and Foecke (38 kills) hitting .416.
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Rolfzen garnered First Team All-American status for her work on the hardwood a year ago, alongside her twin sister Amber Rolfzen (Middle Blocker) who was named to the second team of best players in the country. Senior libero Justine Wong-Orantes rounds out the stacked roster with her Third Team All-American stature.
House (.246) and Twitty (.239) are the only outside hitters swinging above .200, which is why Nelson has made it a point to limit the mistakes from the pin hitting position.
Though Nelson has said all three matches will produce quality turnouts, UNM’s postseason dreams will come rushing into view should the Lobos take down the top team in the nation.
“They really showcase what college volleyball is right now and we thought it would be a great match, a great match to have in the Pit,” Nelson said. “They were eager to come here so we were able to set this event up.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
