ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico State volleyball closed its run at the Lobo Classic with a sweep of Battle of I-25 foe New Mexico on Saturday. The Aggies took down the Lobos 26-24, 25-23, 25-18 to close out the tournament.

"Rivalries are fun. It's hard early in the season, especially when you have injuries," head coach Mike Jordan said. "I was really happy with the effort today on a hostile court. I think we managed the game well, other than maybe at the service line, we got a lot of people involved."

How it Happened

NM State (4-2) came out on the attack and four-point run early in the opening set gave the Aggies the 6-3 advantage. However, a momentum swing favored UNM (3-3) and a nine-point rally put the Lobos ahead by five. NM State crawled its way back and an attack error by New Mexico allowed New Mexico State to tie the set 17-17. Each squad fought point-for-point but a kill by Tatyana Battle and a block by Megan Hart and Ashley Anselmo gave the Aggies the edge they needed to take the first set 26-24.

In the second set, the teams continued to battle but early on, NM State jumped out to an 11-8 lead, forcing UNM to use a timeout. The break in the action did not stop New Mexico State's momentum and the Aggies scored a couple more points to hold the five-score advantage. NM State built its lead to eight late in the set but UNM rallied to come within a pair when the Aggies held set point. Briana Ainsworth made the connection to fellow senior Battle, who put the 25-23 win away with a kill off the Lobo block.

The Aggies held the momentum early in the set and a four-point run put New Mexico State ahead 11-6. NM State did not let up and after a pair of blocks put the Aggies ahead 19-10 and the Lobos called its second timeout of the set. New Mexico had one last rally left, pulling within five, but New Mexico State claimed the 25-18 victory in the final set.

By the Numbers

As a team, the Aggies posted 45 kills on hitting .301 for the match. Savannah Davison led all players with 15 kills. Battle notched her third double-double of the tournament when she recorded 11 kills and 11 digs. For their consistent effort at the Lobo Classic, Davison and Battle were named to the all-tournament team.

The Aggies return to the City of Crosses for their home opener against Grambling State on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. MT. NM State then hosts the annual Springhill Suites Invitational where the squad faces off against Montana and Arizona Sept. 7-8. New Mexico State closes the weekend at UTEP on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.