SOUTH BEND, IND. – New Mexico State volleyball defeated Rhode Island to open the Golden Dome Invitationalon Friday. The Aggies defeated the Rams in straight sets 25-13, 25-11, 25-15 for their first win of the season.
How It Happened
NM State started the match hot, earning three-straight kills. Service aces by Brielle Sterns and Natalie Mikels helped give the Aggies a 9-2 lead, causing URI to call a timeout. New Mexico State continued to dominate and with Ariadnne Sierra serving, the Aggies went on a 5-0 run to take a 16-5 lead.
Rhode Island went on a scoring run of its own, scoring three-straight points late in the set, but a kill by Kassandra Tohm snapped the streak and gave New Mexico State the 23-11 advantage. The Aggies were able to close out the set with kill from freshman Julianna Salanoa for the 25-13 win.
New Mexico State picked up where they let off in the second set with Briana Ainsworth serving the fifth ace of the match. After a kill by Jordan Abalos tied the match at seven, NM State went on a 5-0 scoring run to break ahead. The Aggies didn't let up, going on a seven-point run to close the second set with the score 25-11.
In the third set, NM State continued to dominate. After a kill by Sasha-Lee Thomas gave New Mexico State the serve, NM State scored four-straight points to take a 13-5 lead. The Aggies continued to be competitive from the service line with Kaylee Neal hitting back-to-back aces to give New Mexico State a 17-8 advantage. An attack error by Rhode Island closed out the match and gave the Aggies the 25-15 victory,
By the Numbers
The Aggies had nine services aces and did not give up an ace to the Rams. NM State posted 44 kills and 43 digs while URI only had 21 and 27, respectively. Tatyana Battle and Tohm led the team with 10 kills while Abalos had nine. Abalos also led the team with 13 digs followed by Sierra with 12. Ainsworth led the team with 21 assists followed by Mikels with 13.
NM State is back in action with two matches on Saturday. The Aggies start the day playing Valparaiso at 8 a.m. (MT) followed by a match against tournament host Notre Dame at 5 p.m. Fans can watch New Mexico State take on UND on WatchESPN.
