PHOENIX – The New Mexico State volleyball team defeated Grand Canyon at the GCU Arena on Thursday night. The Aggies took down the Lopes 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-9 for their first five-set victory of the season. With the win, NM State secured its third-straight Western Athletic Conference Regular-Season title and a first round bye in the WAC Tournament.
"I'm happy to get a win," head coach Mike Jordan said. "We were sloppy at times passing it and that was frustrating, but we made plays when we needed to. I also need to give credit to GCU, they played well."
How It Happened
NM State (20-7, 11-2 WAC) started the match going back-and-forth with GCU (8-17, 3-10 WAC) but a four-point run put the Aggies ahead 11-8. New Mexico State built on its advantage, and led by five, forcing GCU to take a timeout. NM State's domination continued but after leading by nine, Grand Canyon surged back, bringing the New Mexico State's lead to only five. The Aggies held on to their advantage and a kill by Sasha-Lee Thomas closed out NM State's 25-19 victory in the first set.
New Mexico State fell behind early when NM State gave up a five-point run to start the second set. The Aggies battled back and with Ariadnne Sierra behind the service line, NM State came within a point of the Lopes. The deficit grew for the Aggies as they trailed by four, but a scoring rally for New Mexico State tied the set 16-16. The Aggies were unable to gain the lead and five-point run by the Lopes finished the second set as New Mexico State fell 25-18.
In the third set, the Aggie squad went point-for-point with Grand Canyon and with Sierra serving, NM State led by a pair. New Mexico State built on its lead, gaining a 20-15 advantage, but a late rally brought the Lopes within three. The Aggies did not give up and an ace by Natalie Mikels gave NM State the 25-20 victory.
The Aggies fell behind 4-1 early in the fourth set but a rally with Mikels serving gave NM State a 6-5 lead. The advantage did not last for the Aggies as the team gave up a five-point run to Lopes. New Mexico State continued to battle and after trailing by five, NM State rallied to only trail by a point. Despite keeping the set close, the Aggies were unable to regain their early lead and fell 25-23.
In the final set, New Mexico State held the momentum early by scoring four-straight points. The advantage did not last long for the Aggies as Grand Canyon rallied to trail 8-7. However, NM State did not give up the lead to the Lopes and the Aggies scored the final five points of the match to claim the five-set victory.
"I'm proud of this team winning another WAC title, especially considering we've lost three starters for the season due to injury," Jordan said.
By the Numbers
New Mexico State posted 72 kills on hitting .280. The Aggies also recorded 66 assists and 74 digs in the win. Tatyana Battle posted a double-double with 19 kills and 20 digs. Megan Hart tallied 18 kills on .500 hitting for a new career best in kills. Kassandra Tohm was the third player from NM State to post double-figures in kills as she recorded 15 in the match.
The Aggies close out the regular season at CSU Bakersfield as NM State takes on the Roadrunners on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. (MT).
