LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State volleyball team travels to the Golden State to open Western Athletic Conference play. The Aggies face off against conference newcomer California Baptist on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. MT. NM State closes the weekend at CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

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FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch NM State's match against the Lancers of California Baptist on the WAC Digital Network. New Mexico State's match at CSU Bakersfield can be viewed on ESPN3.

NOTEWORTHY NON-CONFERENCE
NM State closed non-conference play with a 10-3 record with the Aggies sweeping rivals UTEP and New Mexico on the road during the span. New Mexico State also took down Arizona in a five-set thriller at the Pan American Center for the program's first win over the Wildcats since volleyball became and NCAA sanctioned sport.

LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State concluded the Wildcat Classic with a straight-set victory over UT Martin. NM State recorded 32 kills on hitting .223 while holding UT Martin to a .009 hitting percentage in the match. The Aggies also notched 41 digs, 32 assists and 14 blocks in the sweep. Tatyana Battle led all players with 10 kills in the victory while Megan Hart had a match-best eight blocks.

Following the victory, Natalie Mikels and Battle were named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament team. During the 2-1 weekend, Mikels notched 52 assists while also tallying a team-high six service aces. Battle led the team with 37 kills and a 3.36 kills per set average for the weekend. The senior also posted 24 digs, seven blocks and three aces during the Aggies' tournament run.

LOOKING AT THE LANCERS
California Baptist comes in to the match with the second best record in the league at 9-3 on the year. The Lancers' 2018 camping is their first at the NCAA Division I level and their match against NM State is the first as a part of the WAC. As a team, CBU ranks first in the conference in hitting percentage (.233), opponent hitting percentage (.159), assists (12.44) and kills (13.62).

Tesa Oaks leads the squad with 156 kills and also posts an impressive 137 digs for the season. The sophomore, along with Cassidy Dennison and Nicole Abreu, has 13 aces on the year. Sydney Marks leads the Lancer squad with a .393 hitting clip and also has a team-leading 38 blocks during her sophomore season.

SCOUTING THE "RUNNERS
CSU Bakersfield enters the weekend at 6-6 and 3-0 at home this season. Overall, the team posts 11.07 kills per set and a 13.20 digs per set average. Last season, the 'Runners upset the Aggies in the WAC tournament semifinals before taking down UTRGV on the Vaqueros home court to take the conference tournament title.

Individually, Briannah Mariner leads the CSUB squad with 105 kills this season on hitting .194. The outside hitter also averages 0.80 blocks and 0.71 digs per set. Brooke Boiseau was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts last week. The middle led the WAC with a 1.80 blocks per set average last week. She ties Mattison De Garmo for a league-leading 1.07 blocks per set average on the season.

COMING UP: BACK IN WACTION
Following the road matches, New Mexico State comes home for a pair of conference matches. The Aggies welcome Seattle U to the Pan American Center on Thursday, Sept. 27 with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. NM State faces off against Grand Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 29, at noon to close the weekend.