California Baptist University
1-0,0-0Big West
University of New Mexico
0-1,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 27 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| New Mexico | 25 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 1 |
Freshman Nalanie Neal Shines as CBU Downs UNM in Albuquerque on Opening Night
8/28/2026 8:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ALBUQUERQUE, NM--- The California Baptist University women's volleyball team made noise in their first match as a Big West member as they would down the New Mexico Lobos in four sets at the Pit in Albuquerque on Friday night.
The Lancers jumpstart their season at 1-0 despite missing several key members of their team and would win their season opener for the first time since 2020.
The Lancers jumped out to the early advantage over the Lobos, fueled by the strong play of true freshman Nalane Neal, making her collegiate debut. The Wytheville, Virginia native scored three early points for the Lancers, including a solo block on the match's opening rally. The Lobos would slowly but surely climb back in the match and would execute a late 4-0 run to take a three-point lead at 22-19. The Lancers showed no quit and would respond with a 5-1 run to force extra points. In extras, the Lancers would fall behind early but would score the final three points, resulting in an Audrey Heiring kill that would win the set 27-25.
The second set would go to the Lobos as they led by as many as seven points in the frame. The Lancers bounced back in a big way in the third set, as, outside of the opening point, they never trailed and would take the 2-1 match advantage with the 25-16 victory.
CBU jumped out to the lead in the fourth set, leading by as many as six points ahead of the mandatory media timeout. UNM closed the gap in a hurry and would force Trevor Johnson to burn both of his timeouts over the final stretch of action. With the Lancers leading 23-22, Neal and Eleftheria Baxa would close the door with a kill and block on consecutive possessions to seal the victory and steal the road win over the Lobos.
Neal resoundingly made her collegiate debut with a team-high 17 kills, which is the most by a Lancer freshman in their debut in the DI era. Neal also took on nine digs and had three blocks to cap a stellar night. Avery Barber had a career day as well, posting a monster double-double with 38 assists and 14 digs, both of which were career marks for the junior setter. The Lancers dominated the blocks with 14 compared to just six for the Lobos, led by Eleftheria Baxa with seven.
NEXT: The Lancers will remain in the Land of Enchantment as they take on the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday evening in Las Cruces.
