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3 to watch: Lobo volleyball plans to 'shock everyone'
UNM outside hitter Lauryn Payne elevates for a shot during a match against UNLV last season. Payne was named All-Mountain West as a junior in 2024.
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Nine is not a satisfying number for the University of New Mexico volleyball team.
Ninth is where the Lobos finished in last season’s Mountain West standings and it’s where they’re picked to finish again according to the league’s recent preseason coaches’ poll.
Forgive UNM coach Jon Newman-Gonchar and his players for not buying it.
After advancing to the six-team MWC tournament each of the previous two seasons, the Lobos did experience a drop-off in 2024, but they fully expect to move back up the conference ladder in 2025. With a core of key returning players and some intriguing new additions, UNM is geared up to defy preseason pollsters’ expectations.
“Oh, definitely,” said senior outside hitter Lauryn Payne, an All-Mountain West selection last season who was not named to the 2025 preseason all-conference team. “Whether you’re at the bottom or the top, the poll doesn’t mean anything. We’re gonna show people what we can do and have a great year.”
Junior setter Madeleine Miller, a returning starter, said memories of last season’s 13-15 finish linger only as motivation.
“We had some losses that didn’t sit well with any of us,” Miller said, “and we can’t wait to use that as fuel and fire. This is one of the most positive, hard-working teams I’ve been around. I’m just excited to go shock everyone, which I feel we can do this season.”
The Lobos, who host New Mexico Highlands for a 1 p.m. exhibition match Saturday, have a much different look with seven newcomers and more overall size (seven players 6-feet or taller) at the net. It’s also a relatively young group with just three seniors on Newman-Gonchar’s 17-player roster.
Still, UNM’s success in 2025 figures to hinge on three of its most experienced players: Payne, Miller and graduate transfer Gioia Riccato. Here’s a quick look at three key Lobos to watch:
Lauryn Payne
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5-11, sr., OH from Leesburg, Virginia
Key stat: Payne racked up a team-best 370 kills in 2024, her first season as a full-time starter. She had 76 combined in her first two years.
What to know: Payne was named co-captain for 2025 and has worked hard to improve her passing and blocking skills, Newman-Gonchar said. Finished last season on a high note with a career-best 26 kills against UNLV.
She said it: “I am looking forward to making a statement,” Payne said about being left off the All-MWC preseason team. “But it’s not really about that so much. I want to see this team come out and shock everyone. That’s what I’m focused on right now.”
Madeleine Miller
6-1, jr., S from Shueyville, Iowa
Key stat: Racked up 854 assists in her first season as UNM’s primary setter. Also collected 275 digs and 32 blocks.
What to know: Miller’s decision making and game management steadily improved through her first season as a starter. She had a career-best 54 assists in a late-season win over Air Force and was named co-captain along with Payne for 2025.
She said it: “I feel like we learned a lot from last season and I’m ecstatic to see how focused everyone is right now. I can’t wait to start facing some other teams and see how things come together for us. I’m very optimistic.”
Gioia Ricatto
6-1, gr., OH from Venice, Italy
Key stat: Ricatto has yet to post any collegiate stats after several years of club volleyball in Italy. She could accumulate big numbers as a potential six-position player, Newman-Gonchar said.
What to know: Ricatto (first name pronounced ‘joy-a’) aims to earn a master’s in business administration at UNM. Graduated summa cum laude in economics and business management from the University of Verona in 2024.
She said it: “What motivated me to come here is that everyone loves, breathes and lives for volleyball,” Ricatto said. “They’re working toward something big as a team and I really wanted to be part of that, be someone my teammates can rely on. My goal was to come somewhere they love volleyball, and I’d discovering a great new environment.”
NOTES: Admission and parking for Saturday’s exhibition match at Johnson Center are free, but fans will need to navigate construction on UNM’s main campus. The Cornell Parking Structure just west of Johnson Center is open with free parking on weekends. The outdoor lot south of Johnson Center is closed during ongoing construction.
