by (Las Vegas, Nevada) – UNLV defeated New Mexico in a thrilling five-set match (30-32, 25-19, 25-27, 25-17, 18-16), but Seenane Brewer‘s (Navajo/Lakota/Cherokee) relentless attacking made her a pivotal force for New Mexico, particularly in the sets they won.
Set 1: New Mexico Win 32-30
Brewer started strong, recording New Mexico’s third point with a kill. Crucially, as UNLV built a commanding 17-9 lead, Brewer ignited New Mexico’s massive comeback. She delivered back-to-back kills to narrow the gap to 12-17, and later added two more kills that helped New Mexico tie the set at 17-20 and 19-20. On the defensive end, she assisted Zoe Leonard on a block that cut the deficit to 15-17. Her consistent hitting was vital in extending the set, though the final points were scored by teammates.
Set 2: UNLV Wins 25-19 UNLV bounced back convincingly in the second set, controlling the action almost from the start. They jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, utilizing service aces and successful attacks from Jaida Harris and Rheanna Deen-Jackson. Alondra Alarcon also contributed to the run. New Mexico briefly closed the gap to 12-13, but UNLV responded with a scoring burst, extending their lead with kills from Logan Lindsay and more strong play from Jaida Harris, whose consecutive kills secured a comfortable 25-19 victory for UNLV, tying the match at 1-1.
Set 3: New Mexico Wins 27-25
Brewer was instrumental in New Mexico’s close third-set win. She was frequently set up for points, recording kills to tie the score at 2-2 and push the lead to 9-8. Later in the set, with the score tied at 19-19, Brewer recorded a kill to give New Mexico the 20-20 tie, and then secured the 24-23 set point opportunity. She also assisted Zoe Leonard on a critical block that gave New Mexico a 12-11 lead.
Set 4: UNLV Wins 25-17 Facing elimination, UNLV delivered a dominant performance in the fourth set. They quickly established a lead, going up 7-4 on kills from Rheanna Deen-Jackson and Lauryn Payne (for New Mexico). UNLV’s momentum accelerated with a series of successful attacks and unforced errors by New Mexico, pushing the score to 16-10 and later 18-13. UNLV’s defensive pressure, including blocks from Brooklynn Williams and Logan Lindsay, was key. UNLV closed the set with consecutive scores, including a final attack error by New Mexico’s Seenane Brewer, winning 25-17 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
Set 5: UNLV Wins 18-16 The tie-breaker set was the closest of all, marked by runs and high tension. New Mexico gained the initial momentum, going up 7-3 due to UNLV attack errors and kills from Seenane Brewer. However, UNLV, with strong play from Basia Latos and Rheanna Deen-Jackson, went on an incredible 9-1 run, highlighted by a series of service aces to take a 12-8 lead. New Mexico fought back to tie the score at 13-13 with kills from Seenane Brewer. The final points were a frantic back-and-forth, with the score tying at 14, 15, and 16. With the set on the line, UNLV’s Jaida Harris and Alondra Alarcon delivered the final two points to secure the set 18-16, and the 3-2 match victory.
Key Players (Based on Kills/Points in Play-by-Play):
- New Mexico: Seenane Brewer and Lauryn Payne were New Mexico’s primary offensive threats, especially in the sets they won. Brewer had a new career high of 27 kills in the match and also had 11 digs for
