Sept. 13, 2011

Pitt Blue and Gold Classic Notes

Buck Gets National Honor

Lobo Volleyball - at Pitt Blue and Gold Classic

Who/When: Sept. 17 - Lobos vs. Pittsburgh, 5 p.m. MT
Who/When: Sept. 18 - Lobos vs. Delaware, 11 a.m. MT
Who/When: Sept. 18 - Lobos vs. Temple, 3 p.m. MT

Where: All matches will take place at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa.
On The Air: Available via All Access page on Pittsburghpanthers.com
GoLobos.com: GameTracker, Game Story, Stats, Quotes

ALBUQUERQUE , N.M. -- The Lobos travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 17-18 to participate in the Pitt Blue and Gold Classic, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh. UNM will face three different teams in the tournament including: host school Pittsburgh, Delaware and Temple. The Lobos are riding a three-game winning streak heading into the tournament after winning the Comcast/Sheraton Lobo Invitational.

NEW MEXICO AT A GLANCE: The Lobos' record is 5-2 after going undefeated at the Comcast/Sheraton Lobo Invitational, beating UC Irvine, 3-2, Portland State, 3-0 and Montreal 3-0. Freshman Chantale Riddle, sophomore Mariah Agre and seniors Allison Buck and Ashley Rhoades were named to the all-tournament team for their performances. Buck also earned MVP honors for her fantastic defensive output throughout the tournament. Buck set a new career-high in digs with 34 in the match with UC Irvine. Rhoades also set a new career-high in kills with 26 against UC Irvine.

"I thought overall we were consistent and played very well," head coach Jeff Nelson said. "It's nice to see that the girls are getting better with every match." 

About Pittsburgh (8-2, 0-0 Big East) ... Pittsburgh is 8-2 on the season, with one of those losses coming to No. 5 Penn State. The Panthers lead the Big East in service aces with 71 on the season (2.2 per set). Additionally, Pitt is second among league leaders in opponent hitting percentage, limiting opponents to a .131 effort. Monica Wignot leads the team in kills with 112 (3.50 kps), Margy Acton leads the team in digs with 143 (4.47 dps) and Brenea White leads the team in blocks with 36 (1.29 bps).

About Delaware (2-8, 0-0 CAA) ... Delaware is 2-8 on the season coming into the Pitt Blue and Gold Classic. The Blue Hen's were voted as the team to beat in the Colonial Athletic Association Pre-season Coaches' Poll. Outside hitters, junior Alissa Alker and senior Kim Stewart have been selected to the 2011 All-CAA preseason team. Alker is second on the team in kills this season with 119 (3.13 kps) and Stewart is third with 91 (3.13 kps). 

About Temple (3-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10) ... The Owls are 3-6 on the season under first year head coach Bakeer Ganes. The Owls are similar to the Lobos due to the fact they seek guidance from a trio of seniors. Temple returns eight letterwinners from last season, as well as three seniors: Liz Prang, outside hitter Collin Wallace and setter Rikia Trischuk. Wallace leads the Owls with 102 kills (3.92 kps) this season. 

Against Pittsburgh (4-0) ... The Lobos have an undefeated record of 4-0 against Pittsburgh. UNM took the most recent match between the two teams, 3-1, on Sept. 12, 2009, at Johnson Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

Against Delaware (2-1) ...The Lobos are 2-1 all-time against Delaware. The Last meeting between the two teams took place on Aug. 28, 2009, with the Lobos winning 3-0.

Against Temple (2-1) ... The Lobos are 2-1 all-time against Temple. UNM won the most recent match against Temple, 3-1, on Sept. 21, 2002, at Johnson Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

Digging for Gold ... Allison Buck set a new career-high in digs with 34 during the Lobos' 3-2 win over UC Irvine. The 34 digs are 10 more than her previous career high. Buck's career match was just the beginning to an amazing weekend had by the senior. In the three games the Lobos played at the Comcast/Sheraton Lobo Invitational, Buck totaled 67 digs on her way to earning tournament MVP honors and helping the Lobos claim championship gold.

Killin' It ... Ashley Rhoades currently sits atop the MW rankings for kills per set and points per set. She is averaging 3.96 KPS and 4.78 PPS in matches played so far in 2011. She set a career single-game high for kills with 26 against UC Irvine on Sept. 9.

Riddle's Block Party ... Redshirt freshman Chantale Riddle had a block party against UC Irvine Sept. 9. Riddle recorded seven block assists to go along with one block solo, helping the Lobos defeat the Anteaters, 3-2. Riddle is now second on the team in blocks with 22.0 on the season after her great performance against UC Irvine. Rhoades leads UNM with 28.

Homegrown Lobos ... Almost half of the 15 players on the UNM roster are local New Mexicans. Seven current Lobos played at high schools in the state of New Mexico. Ashley Rhoades, Chelsea McCampbell and Jayla Trombley all played at Rio Rancho HS, Chan- tale Riddle (Roswell HS), Jordan Russell (Moriarty HS), Ashley Newman (St. Pius X) and Miquella Lovato (Pojoaque HS).

True Freshman Surprise ... True freshman Cara Fisher has seen a significant amount of playing time during the early stages of this season. The Manvel, Texas, native has played

DOWN THE ROAD: The Lobos begin conference play Sept. 23 when they host TCU at 7 p.m. Texas Tech also rolls into Albuquerque, N.M., Sept. 29 to take on the Lobos in a 7 p.m. match.

Lobos Women's Volleyball

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