by ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico responded to Thursday’s straight-set loss in El Paso by winning three consecutive sets after dropping the opener Saturday, defeating UTEP in four at The Pit – Powered by Nusenda (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19) for its fifth win in its last six matches.
The Lobos (7-11, 5-3 MW) improved to 4-1 at home this season in front of 1,502 fans, earning a split of the week’s two meetings with the Miners (12-8, 4-4 MW). After UTEP snapped UNM’s four-match winning streak Thursday, the Lobos bounced back with a balanced offensive effort and strong finishes in each of the final three sets.
Mina Stanojevic led UNM with 15 kills, 10 digs and two aces, while Addison France added 11 kills on .290 hitting, nine digs and three block assists. Madeleine Miller posted a double-double with 39 assists and 12 digs while contributing eight kills on .538 hitting.
Seenane Brewer finished with nine kills and 11 digs, Reagan Miller supplied seven kills on .400 hitting and Zoe Leonard added four kills and three block assists. Camila Canedo matched Madeleine Miller for the team lead with 12 digs and added six assists and an ace.
UNM hit .268 for the match while limiting UTEP to a .219 clip, including .159 in the third set and .132 in the fourth. The Lobos finished with a 56-53 edge in digs and committed seven service errors to the Miners’ 15.
After falling narrowly in the opener, UNM delivered its most efficient offensive set of the night in the second, putting away 17 kills with just one error on 32 swings for a .500 hitting percentage. France powered the response with six kills on 10 error-free attempts. With the teams tied at 21, France and Brewer supplied kills before a UTEP attack error gave UNM set point, and France finished off the 25-22 win to even the match.
Stanojevic took over offensively in the third, recording seven kills as the Lobos again pulled away late. UNM erased a 15-13 deficit and eventually broke a 21-all tie with four consecutive points. Stanojevic delivered back-to-back kills to start the closing run before a Miner attack error and a France kill secured the 25-21 victory.
The Lobos carried that momentum into the fourth, using a four-point run to break a 7-all tie and take the lead for good. UTEP stayed within two at 19-17 before UNM scored four straight behind a France kill, a Stanojevic ace, a Miner attack error and a Brewer kill. Brewer added another kill to bring up match point, and a UTEP attack error sealed the bounceback win
