by USAFA, Colo. — Seenane Brewer (Navajo/Cherokee) tied for the team lead with 15 kills on Saturday, but New Mexico fell in five sets to Air Force at Cadet East Gym, 28-26, 16-25, 25-18, 21-25, 10-15, as the Falcons completed a sweep of the two-match series.
Brewer finished with 15 kills and five errors on 32 attempts to hit .312. She put down two kills in New Mexico’s final four points of the opening set to help the Lobos close it out.
New Mexico overcame an early 4-0 deficit in the first set and fought off a set point at 25-24 before Mina Stanojevic delivered the winner for a 28-26 victory, with the Lobos hitting .342 with 18 kills in the frame. Air Force answered by taking the second set 25-16.
The Lobos regained the lead in the third, opening a 7-2 advantage and hitting .316 while holding Air Force to .170. Addison France finished the set with a kill as New Mexico scored the final three points to win 25-18. In the fourth, New Mexico erased an 8-4 deficit to lead 10-9, but Air Force responded with five straight points and, after the Lobos trimmed a 22-18 deficit to one, closed with three consecutive points to win 25-21 and force a fifth set.
New Mexico led 4-2 and 5-3 in the deciding set before Air Force used a five-point run to take control and finished the match 15-10. France matched Brewer with 15 kills and added 15 digs for a double-double, Reagan Miller had 13 kills, Madeleine Miller handed out 47 assists, and Zoe Leonard posted eight blocks for the Lobos. Alysa Walker led Air Force with a match-high 25 kills.
New Mexico fell to 9-15 overall and 7-7 in the Mountain West, while Air Force improved to 10-15 and 6-8. The Lobos totaled 64 kills and held advantages in digs (68-59) and blocks (11-10). New Mexico continues its road trip at UNLV on Thursday, Nov. 12.
