LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State volleyball travels to Edinburg, Texas, for the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament. As the top seed overall, NM State earns a first-round bye and the Aggies are set to take on the winner of the match between No. 4 CSU Bakersfield and No. 5 Seattle U on Friday, Nov. 17, at 3:30 p.m. (MT).
WHERE TO WATCH
The 2017 WAC Volleyball Tournament is hosted by UT Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. Fans can watch the tournament on the WAC Digital Network or on the over-the-top (OTT) platforms which include Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.
THREE-PETE
For the third-straight season, NM State earned the title WAC Regular Season Champions. The Aggies won a five-set thriller at Grand Canyon to claim crown. The championship is New Mexico State's fourth regular season title in the last five years.
REMARKABLE RANKINGS
New Mexico State posts a .133 opponent hitting percentage, which ranks third in the nation. NM State also ranks 29th in assists per set (13.23), 31st in kills per set (13.99), 37th in digs per set (16.85) and 48th in blocks per set (2.43). Additionally, the Aggies lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage as well as digs, assists, and kills per set.
Individually, Ariadnne Sierra averages 5.22 digs per set which ranks 29th nationally and second in the WAC. She also ranks fourth in the league with 0.27 service aces per set. Lia Mosher (.279) and Sasha-Lee Thomas (.263) rank fourth and seventh, respectively, among the conference leaders for hitting percentage. Mosher also sits in fourth for blocks as she averages 1.09 blocks per set. Kassandra Tohm averages 3.58 kills per set, which is fourth in the WAC while Tatyana Battle posts 3.17 kills per set to put her in ninth.
In conference play alone, Thomas posts a .306 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the league. Tohm sits at the top of the WAC as she averages 3.98 kills per set and 4.20 points per set. Mosher posts a .301 hitting clip, which ranks fourth in the conference, Battle ranks fifth among the league's leaders in points per set (3.95) and seventh in kills per set (3.40).
LAST TIME OUT
NM State secured its third-straight WAC regular season title with a thrilling five-set victory over Grand Canyon. Against GCU, New Mexico State posted 72 kills on hitting .280. Battle posted a double-double with 19 kills and 20 digs. Megan Hart tallied 18 kills on .500 hitting for a new career best. Tohm was the third player from NM State to post double-figures in kills as she recorded 15 in the match.
The Aggies closed out the season with a sweep at CSU Bakersfield. NM State posted 47 kills and a .286 hitting clip as a team. Tohm posted double-figures in kills for the 12th-straight match when she tallied 17 to lead the team. Battle posted a double-double, recording 10 kills and 16 digs. Sierra led all players with a match-high 20 digs.
#WACvb
After winning their third-straight regular-season title, the Aggies enter the tournament as the top seed with a 21-7 record and a 12-2 record in WAC play. Host UT Rio Grande Valley comes in as the No. 2 seed, posting an overall record of 16-11 and a 10-4 record against league opponents. The Vaqueros took the WAC Tournament crown for the first time last season. Utah Valley (14-15, 9-5 WAC) and CSU Bakersfield (16-13, 9-5 WAC) earned the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. Seattle U posts an 11-16 record overall and a 7-7 league record, earning the Redhawks the fifth seed. The tournament field is rounded out by UMKC, who posts a 9-18 record and a 5-9 record against WAC opponents.
COMING UP
The WAC Volleyball Tournament finals are set for Saturday, Nov. 18, with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. The winner of the match earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
