LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Coming off a 27-3 season with a 16-0 conference record, a WAC Tournament championship and second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, expectations were high for the New Mexico State Volleyball team.
 
Especially with the likes of Notre Dame, Auburn, and three Pac-12 opponents, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State, scheduled to make trips to the Pan Am, 2020 was shaping up to be the year the Aggies burst back into the national rankings.
 
However, that came crashing down in late August when the WAC announced it had postponed its season for fall sports. No more big-time non-conference opponents to prepare the Aggies for a run at their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
While less than ideal, NM State is still happy to compete.
 
"We had such a great non-conference home schedule and it was really disappointing to lose that to the pandemic. Hopefully we can get it rescheduled for fall of 2021. With this spring looking like a WAC only schedule and no real ability to play a non-conference match before we start it's bothersome knowing we'll be going into conference play a little bit blind," said head coach Mike Jordan. "From a competitive stand point I know our team is looking forward to the opportunity to compete, especially our seniors who are getting close to the end of their careers."
 
Helping to ease those nerves is the dearth of talent at Jordan's disposal.  The Aggies are set to return arguably the best outside hitter in the WAC, Savannah Davison, and fellow First-Team All-WAC honoree Julianna Salanoa. Also returning on the outside for the Aggies is junior Cat Kelly.
 
In addition to Kelly and Davison, Jordan has added two other athletic point-scorers in Victoria Barrett and Albuquerque native Mari Sharp.
 
"I think Mari and Victoria are going to be great point scorers, they've got an opportunity to play right away," Jordan says about the two freshmen outside hitters. "I've just been so impressed by their physicality and their speed and how quick their swings are."
 
With four-deep on the left, one of the questions facing NM state is who it plugs into the right side with the departures of Ashley Anselmo, one of the Aggies' best blockers, and All-American Megan Hart, who played right side along with middle. Fortunately for Jordan, he has the answers.
 
"Obviously losing players like Anselmo and Hart you wonder who's going to fill that void," said Jordan. "But Shaney Lipscomb and Katie Birtcil have impressed me so far."
 
Lipscomb is a transfer for Grossmont college. The 6-2 junior is extremely athletic and versatile, gaining praise from her head coach who believes she can be one of the WAC's top point-scorers. Birtcil has shown vast improvement from a season ago and is primed to be one of NM State's best blockers.
 
"Shaney has a ton of ability and she works really hard, she impresses me every day," said Jordan. "Katie has made great progress especially physically. She can really bounce off the floor and you can see her confidence level growing all the time.
 
The Aggies have to replace an All-American in the middle but the returns of Lia Mosher and Salanoa, who ended the season ranked 16^th nationally in blocks per set and 22^nd nationally in total blocks, will ease the loss of Hart. Improvement out of Lindsay Blakey and the athletic potential of freshman Callie Schoening mean the Aggies are four-deep in the middle.
 
"Julianna does such a good job both offensively and defensively," Jordan says about his All-WAC middle blocker.
 
"Lia Played out of position a lot last season to accommodate moving Megan Hart back and forth between middle and opposite hitter. She has really been improving offensively and will get to play her natural position all year. We think she is going to put up really good numbers," Jordan added. "Lindsay has improved offensively quite a bit and Callie has the athletic ability to become a consistent point-scorer at this level eventually."
 
While the Aggies will have a plethora of point-scorers, they also have a duo of experienced setters with the return of senior Natalie Mikels and the addition of Long Beach State transfer Carly Aigner-Swesey. Mikels, one of the top servers in the conference, returns with 98 career service aces and 1,473 assists while Aigner-Swesey posted 1,570 assists during two seasons at The Beach.
 
"Natalie locates the ball well and is a real leader on the floor, a real level-headed competitor who obviously has a ton of experience," said Jordan. "Carly was a huge get for us, she's got a lot of skill and is easy to work with, we feel like we're in good hands."
 
NM State also added depth to the libero position with an incoming crop of athletic freshman adding to the experience from players like Jordan Gorge and Kiley Tonge. Nothing is set in stone at the libero position, however.
 
"We've got a real athletic crew and it's been fun watching them work and compete," Jordan said. "I love the athletic ability of the freshmen, they just need to improve a little each week. Skill improvement takes time but they're making good progress."
 
With the roster set, Jordan and the Aggies look towards a spring season, even amid a year filled with uncertainty and with practice restrictions still lingering.
 
"It's been very frustrating not being able to practice with the entire team on the floor and because almost everyone else has been able to do that I feel like we're at a disadvantage of course. The good news is I've been impressed with the work they are putting into their small groups," said Jordan. "It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be from a motivational stand point."