Lobos wrangle Aggies in first volleyball match between the rivals since 2019

Sep. 18—Round one of volleyball's Battle of I-25 goes to UNM.

The Lobos defeated New Mexico State 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21 in front of a raucous crowd in Johnson Gym on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the in-state rivals on the volleyball court since 2019.

Round two is Thursday in Las Cruces.

The crowd of 1,387 makes for the second-most highly attended match at UNM in the last eight seasons and sixth-most highly attended in the last decade.

"The state of New Mexico wins tonight," said UNM Head Coach Jon Newman-Gonchar, referring to the exuberant crowd.

The Lobos (6-3) snapped a three-match losing streak to the Aggies (4-5), and recorded their first win over NMSU since Oct. 16, 2016.

Lauryn Payne matched a career-high with 16 kills while Kialah Jefferson (15) and Jada Bouyer (11) also hit double-digits. It's the seventh time this season all three have posted double-digit kills in the same match and fifth in the last six matches.

The Lobos hit .220 while holding the Aggies to .188 hitting — the third consecutive match in which UNM's held its opponent below the .200 mark.

Falanika Danielson led the Lobos with a season-high 26 digs while Madeleine Miller had 41 assists — one away from her career high.

For the Aggies, Starr Williams recorded a season high with 20 kills and Nellie Reese broke a career record with 14 digs.

Thursday's rematch will begin at 6 p.m. MT and will be streamed on ESPN+.