SOUTH BEND, Ind. – New Mexico State volleyball picked up another win at the Golden Dome Invitational on Saturday when they defeated Valparaiso 21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20. A trio of Aggies posted double-doubles including Jordan Abalos who had a team-high 20 kills.
"We started pretty slow from the service line. Defensively, we were poor early on and we lost a lot of points because of it," head coach Mike Jordan said. "I think Kaylee Neal gave us a great lift. Valpo is a team that gave Notre Dame a push last night and they gave us a push today. They are good defensively. It challenged us and I think it was good for our team to be challenged like that."
How It Happened
The Aggies (2-0) got off to a slow start in the first set when they fell behind 8-2. With Jordan Abalos serving, NM State went on a three-point scoring run to cut the Crusaders (0-2) lead to one. From there, the match went back-and-forth until Valpo went on a four-point run late in the set. New Mexico State was unable to overcome the deficit and lost a set for the first time this season.
In the second set, both teams battled for each point until the Aggies pulled away by taking a 15-9 lead, causing Valparaiso to take a timeout. The Crusaders came back, cutting New Mexico State's lead to two points, but a kill by Sasha-Lee Thomas snapped Valpo's scoring run. NM State took back control and went on a four-point scoring run before closing out the set.
Valparaiso took an early 8-5 lead with a three-point scoring run, pulling ahead of New Mexico State in the third set. After a kill by Kassandra Tohm earned NM State the serve, the Aggies went on a scoring run of their own and took a 10-9 lead. The teams exchanged points but New Mexico State took a 21-16 lead with Kaylee Neal behind the service line. The Aggies held onto the lead and won 25-21.
New Mexico State came out hot early in the fourth set pulling ahead 6-1. Valpo surged back, bringing the Crusaders within one. However, the Aggies were able to get their momentum back and forged ahead 15-11, forcing Valparaiso to take their final timeout of the set. NM State continued to dominate and closed out the match, winning 25-20.
By The Numbers
New Mexico State posted 63 kills and 92 digs while Valparaiso had 49 and 79, respectively. Three Aggies recorded double-doubles in the game. Abalos tallied 20 kills and 13 digs. Briana Ainsworth had a team-high 29 assists and 15 digs while Natalie Mikels posted 24 assists and 11 digs.
NM State closes out the Golden Dome Invitational against tournament host Notre Dame tonight at 5 p.m. (MT) Fans can catch the match on WatchESPN.
