LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State volleyball travels to South Bend Ind., to start the 2017 season at the Golden Dome Invitational. The Aggies take on Rhode Island on Friday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. (MT) to start their 2017 campaign. NM State follows the match by facing Valparaiso and tournament host Notre Dame on Saturday.
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State volleyball team all season on Twitter by following @NMStateVball and on Facebook.com/NMSUAthletics.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can catch NM State take on Notre Dame at the Golden Dome Invitational for free on the ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.
BACK IN ACTION
NM State was once again chosen by the league's head coaches to win the Western Athletic Conference. The Aggies won back-to-back WAC Regular Season Championships in 2015 and 2016. The team returned all six starters as well as the libero in addition to adding eight new player. Jordan Abalos, Briana Ainsworth, Tatyana Battle, Ariadnne Sierra and Sasha-Lee Thomas were voted to the All-WAC Preseason Team.
LOOKING BACK AT 2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
New Mexico State posted a 24-7 overall record and a 13-1 record in conference play in 2016. Following the regular season, Sierra was named the league's Libero of the Year. Abalos and Battle earned All-WAC First Team honors while Sierra and Thomas were named to the second team.
The Aggies were the top seed WAC tournament but fell in the semifinals to the eventual champion UT Rio Grande Valley. NM State finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.141) and also ranked 18th in kills per set (14.26), 37th in assists per set (13.10), and 39th in aces per set (1.52). The Aggies also recorded 178 total service aces and 1,669 team kills, which ranked 28th and 34th, respectively.
KNOW YOUR FOE: RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island finished the 2016 season with a 17-10 overall record and a 12-2 record in conference play. The Rams earned the No. 2 seed for the Atlantic 10 tournament and fell in the semifinals to Saint Louis.
URI returns Kylee Wolfe, who played in 98 sets for the Rams. She recorded 203 kills during the 2016 season and averaged 2.07 kills per set. Olivia Budinich also returns for Rhode Island. The libero posted a team high 275 digs last season and average 2.81 dig per set.
KNOW YOUR FOE: VALPARAISO
Valparaiso was tabbed to place seventh in its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2016, the Crusaders finished the season with a 15-19 overall record and 6-10 record in Horizon League play. This is the second-straight year NM State and Valpo meet in tournament play. In 2016, Aggies defeated Valparaiso 3-0, earning head coach Mike Jordan his 400th career win.
One to watch for Valpo is Katherine Carlson, who closed out the season with the 10th-most attacks in a single season in program history. The junior concluded her 2016 campaign second on the team in total kills (346) and digs (316). She also tallied a pair of triple-doubles during the season.
KNOW YOUR FOE: NOTRE DAME
The Notre Dame volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year. The Fighting Irish closed out the 2016 season with a 22-10 record, which was the team's first winning record in three years. Notre Dame also closed out its 2016 campaign with a 13-7 record in conference play.
The Irish return 14 players from last year's roster. One of those includes middle blocker Sam Fry, who was invited to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., this past spring to try out for the United States National Team. She is a two-time second team All-ACC selection and finished her junior season with 255 kills, 37 service aces and 102 total blocks.
COMING UP: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Following the Golden Dome Invitational, the Aggies return home to host the NM State Springhill Suites Invitational. New Mexico State welcomes North Dakota, UCLA and UNLV for the tournament. The Aggies first match is against North Dakota and is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.
