LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State volleyball team continues Western Athletic Conference play with matches on the road at UMKC and Chicago State. The Aggies face the Roos on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. (MT) before taking on the Cougars on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. Fans can watch NM State's match against UMKC for free on the WAC Digital Network.
REMARKABLE RANKINGS
New Mexico State (15-7, 6-2 WAC) posts a .122 opponent hitting percentage, which ranks first nationally. Additionally, NM State ranks 36th in digs per set (16.99) and 39th in assists per set (13.00). As a team, the Aggies lead the WAC in kills (13.71), assists and opponent hitting percentage.
Individually, Ariadnne Sierra is averaging 5.28 digs per set which ranks 27th in the nation and is second in the WAC. Lia Mosher (1.07) and Sasha-Lee Thomas (0.92) rank fourth and eighth in the league, respectively, for blocks. Kassandra Tohm (3.43) ranks fourth in kills while Tatyana Battle ranks 10th with 2.99.
In conference play, Thomas is second the league with a .346 hitting percentage, followed by Mosher (.291) in fifth place and Tohm (.269) in eighth. Tohm also leads the conference, with 3.87 kills per set and 4.12 points per set. Battle posts a 3.07 kills per set average which ranks eighth in the WAC. Briana Ainsworth (6.03) and Natalie Mikels (5.63) sit in sixth and eighth, respectively, for assists per set.
HART-BREAKER
Megan Hart tallied 10 block assists in the Aggies 3-1 win over UT Rio Grande Valley, which puts her in a tie for second all-time for block assists in a four-set match. Amber Simpson was the last NM State player to tie the second place record as she posted 10 block assists against Idaho in 2007. The only player who has recorded more block assists in a four-set match is Alice Borden, who tallied 13 against North Texas in 2004.
SHINING SIERRA
Sierra currently ranks fifth all-time for career digs at New Mexico State. The libero posts 417 digs this season and 1,271 in her career at NM State. She needs 10 digs to move into fourth place all-time. The senior is also the WAC's active career digs leader.
LAST TIME OUT
In their last match, the Aggies took down UTRGV in four sets for NM State's 11th-straight win at the Pan American Center. New Mexico State posted 52 kills on hitting .149 in the match and held UTRGV to a .034 hitting clip. Mosher posted a new career high for kills when she recorded 12 in the match. Ainsworth tallied her eighth double-double of the season by posting 27 assists and 16 digs.
KNOW YOUR FOE: UMKC
UMKC enters the match with a 7-15 overall record and a 3-6 record in league play. The Roos have lost three-straight after falling to Utah Valley, CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. The UMKC squad posts a 5-3 record at home this season with the most recent victory at the Swinney Recreation Center being a sweep of Seattle U.
The Roos are led offensively by Alicia Harrington, who posts 219 kills and a .162 hitting clip this season. On defense, Alexia Morey has tallied 48 total blocks, so far, this season, while Rhegan Spiegel averages 4.20 digs per set. Alli Schomers posts a team-high 498 assists for UMKC as she records an average of 6.55 assists per set.
In the first meeting between the teams, the Aggies defeated the Roos in straight sets. NM State posted 44 kills, 42 assists and 48 digs in the match. New Mexico State did not give up a single block to UMKC and NM State tallied six blocks of its own. Battle recorded a team-high 15 kills in the win.
KNOW YOUR FOE: CHICAGO STATE
Chicago State comes into the weekend with a 10-15 overall record and a 1-8 record in WAC play. CSU is currently on an eight-match losing streak. The last victory for the Cougars was a four-set win at home against league foe Grand Canyon.
Lauryn Dela Cruz leads the team with 379 kills this season. The junior averages 4.31 kills per set this while posting a .154 hitting percentage. Carmen Carvajal follows closely behind Dela Cruz, averaging 3.38 kills per set while also leading the team with 34 service aces. On defense, Megan Klavitter has tallied 426 digs this season for an average of 4.58 digs per set.
The Aggies swept the Cougars in the first meeting between the squads. NM State posted 33 kills, 31 assists and 12 blocks. As a team, New Mexico State recorded a .253 hitting percentage as the team was led by Battle who tallied 13 kills on .379 hitting. Mosher posted eight blocks while Sierra recorded a team-high 13 digs.
COMING UP
Following the match at Chicago State, the Aggies return for their final home matches of the season. NM State battles Utah Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m. before taking on Seattle U on Saturday, Nov. 4 at noon.
