Bernalillo volleyball watches UNM Lobos practice at The Pit

Bernalillo volleyball players and coaches walked into The Pit on Saturday and saw something bigger than a typical offseason workout: a live look at how a Division I program prepares, communicates and carries itself before travel to four countries and up to six international matches.

The University of New Mexico women’s volleyball team held a free sendoff open house at the 15,411-seat arena on May 23, with open training from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a meet-and-greet and autographs session from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. For Bernalillo High School, the value of that trip was not the spectacle. It was the chance to watch college athletes move through drills at game speed and to see what standards look like when a program is trying to sharpen itself before a 12-day European foreign tour from June 2-14.

That kind of access matters in Sandoval County because it turns college volleyball from a distant goal into something visible. Bernalillo players could watch the Lobos’ tempo, floor communication and discipline up close, then measure their own habits against it. For younger athletes hoping to reach the next level, those details matter as much as wins and losses: how quickly a team resets after a mistake, how loudly it talks in transition, how much precision it demands on every rep. Those are the habits that help separate varsity contributors from college prospects.

The open practice also offered a look at a program in transition. Brian Hosfeld became New Mexico’s 11th head volleyball coach in December 2025, arriving after four years as associate head coach at Wichita State. UNM moved on from Jon Newman-Gonchar and turned the page with a new coach presenting the Lobos to the public in a setting designed to build momentum, visibility and trust.

For Bernalillo and other Sandoval County schools, that matters beyond one afternoon in Albuquerque. The Lobos normally play at the Johnson Center, so The Pit was a special stage, not the usual home floor. But the message to local athletes was clear: the path from a high school gym in Bernalillo to a college roster is built on training habits, recruiting exposure and the ability to handle a higher level of pace. Watching that standard in person gave Spartans players a benchmark they can carry into summer workouts, fall tryouts and, eventually, college opportunities.