Nevada volleyball opened a four-game homestand this past week as the Pack took on both the San Jose State Spartans and the Air Force Falcons. The Pack is now 14-4 on the season—4-2 in the Mountain West—after a pair of tough matchups in Reno.
Tuesday, Oct. 8 vs. San Jose State
The Wolf Pack took on the Spartans to open the week of conference play. The match resulted in a five-set thriller that ultimately went Nevada’s way.
After dropping the first two sets, Nevada defeated the Spartans in three straight sets to win the match. The last time Nevada came back from a 2-0 deficit was at the Virginia Street Gym in September 2016 against Gonzaga.
San Jose State took the first set 25-16, after jumping out to a commanding 23-13 lead, thanks in part to the seven errors made by the Wolf Pack. San Jose State did not miss a beat in the second set, again jumping out to a commanding 24-14 lead before a kill by Latahevai Lousi put the game away for the Spartans.
The Wolf Pack jolted alive in the third, winning the next three sets 25-20, 25-15 and 15-13 respectively. Statistically, the Spartans edged Nevada in nearly every category. Despite this, Nevada was able to walk away victorious over San Jose State.
Freshman Sydney Petersen and junior Kassie McGill played a pivotal role in the Pack’s successful comeback. Petersen had 11 kills in the match, compared to 10 from McGill. Dalyn Burns also had a huge night, recording her eighth double-double of the season, posting 22 digs and 26 assists.
Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. Air Force
In the second game of the week, Nevada took on the Air Force Falcons Thursday evening in the Virginia Street Gym. For just the second time in ten matches, Nevada tallied a loss. This is only Nevada’s fourth loss of the season and second against Mountain West opponents.
With the loss, Nevada moves to fourth place in the Mountain West.
In the lone set that Nevada won, the Wolf Pack had a late lead of 24-20, before Air Force clawed back with four straight points. The score was tied 24-24 before the Falcons committed two errors, helping Nevada to secure the win.
The Falcons edged Nevada in almost all statistical categories including doubling the Pack in aces—eight to four—and finishing the match with 15 more kills.
In a close battle, the back and forth match had 33 total ties and 12 lead changes. Nevada used all but two eligible players as they attempted to find the winning recipe.
Nevada will now turn their sights to next Thursday, Oct. 17 against New Mexico. The match against the Lobos will again be held at the Virginia Street Gym and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Austin Paschke can be reached at rfreeberg@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.
