By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti):
SJSU (15-9, 7-6 MW) went back on the road to take on the University of New Mexico Lobos (14-12, 6-7 MW) Thursday afternoon. Despite the Spartans efforts to hold off the Lobos, they were shutout 3-0.
The first and second sets of the match ended with a consistent score for the Lobos, 25-22. UNM took the first six points of the match before the Spartans were able to get on the board. SJSU eventually gained the lead near the end of the set, but the Lobos shut the Spartans down, scoring the final four points.
SJSU scored the first two points of the second set. After tying the set 18-18, the Spartans were unable to take the lead and fell again.
The third and final set of the night was close for the Spartans as it ended 26-24. After getting the scoreboard to 24-22, SJSU relinquished the final four points and the win.
Sophomore outside hitter Fernanda Vido led SJSU again tonight, earning 15 of the Spartans’ 39 kills. Helping Vido out was sophomore middle blocker Thaliana Grajeda, who contributed 11 kills. Grajeda also lead the Spartans in blocks tonight with six.
Dominating in digs as usual was junior middle blocker Luiza Andrade with 14 of SJSU’s 37 digs for the match. Vido and senior libero Jamie Hirai each added six digs as well. Lobos’ senior libero Ashley Kelsey tied Andrade in digs for the match.
Serving errors were an issue for the Spartans with seven on the night compared to UNM’s three. The teams were tied in serving aces with six each.
UNM sophomore outside hitter Lauren Twitty dominated the court tonight with a double-double of 15 kills and 10 digs.
Heading into the match, the Spartans were tied for third place in the Mountain West Conference with San Diego State. While a winning season has already been secured for SJSU, placing in the top three of the conference is still the team’s goal.
With the victory, the Lobos extends their win streak to three games. When the match began, the Lobos were tied for sixth place in the conference.
The Spartans are heading over to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at 12 p.m. before returning to the Spartan Gym for a two-game homestand.