TROY, Ala. – New Mexico State volleyball defeated the Lady Govs of Austin Peay 3-1 in the opening match of the Trojan Invitational on Friday. The Aggies took the match with a 25-16, 27-29, 25-20, 25-18 decision.
 
"I liked that we served it tougher today," said head coach Mike Jordan. "We still missed too much, but we will take that trade off. We definitely were more aggressive at the service line, and did a good job. I was really happy with the way Megan Hart played. She is just going to get stronger after her knee injury. She is not there yet, but any kind of production from her is positive right now. As she gets stronger and more confident, she is going to keep putting up good numbers. I was pretty happy with our overall effort all in all."
 
NM State had three players post double-digit kills in the win. Western Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Sasha-Lee Thomas paced the Aggies with 16 kills and a .667 hitting percentage, a new season high. Junior Jordan Abalos put together her fourth-straight double-double of the season with 14 kills and 15 digs. Junior Kassandra Tohm logged 10 kills.
 
The Aggies came out of the gate white hot as they ran out to a 7-3 lead early in the first set. Thanks to several runs of three points or more, including two 4-0 runs, NM State was able to run away with the set 25-16.
 
The second set proved to be a little bit more difficult as NM State held an early lead of 7-4, but the Lady Govs didn't back down. Austin Peay fought all the way back to tie the match at 11-11, and would take their first lead at 13-12. They ran the lead out to 21-15, but the Aggies slowly scratched and clawed their way back. NM State would force a tie and eventually retake the lead briefly at 27-26. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Austin Peay took the frame 29-27.
 
Facing a 1-1 tie, the Aggie came out of the break on fire as the rolled to a 10-3 lead early in the third set. However, the Lady Govs would not go down quietly as they fought back to cut the lead to 14-10. That would be as close as they got, as NM State went on a 4-0 run to push the lead to 18-12. The Aggies eventually claimed the set 25-20.
 
The fourth set looked to be all NM State, as the Aggies went on an 8-1 run to start the frame. But once again Austin Peay attempted a comeback, cutting the lead to 15-8. Thanks to extended runs again, the Aggies would claim the match and set with a 25-18 decision.
 
 NM State is back in action this afternoon as they face Valparaiso at 1:30 p.m.