Match Eighteen
NM State (13-4, 4-1 WAC) vs. Grand Canyon (11-3, 3-2 WAC)
Thursday, Oct. 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Pan American Center | Las Cruces, N.M.
Watch | Live Stats | Listen | NM State Match Notes | GCU Match Notes
THE FIRST SERVE
• Back home for the final time in the month of October, the NM State volleyball team prepares for a showdown between the top two teams in the WAC's West Division as the Aggies host Grand Canyon Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. inside the Pan American Center.
• Tabbed as the Aggies' Pack the Pan Am match, any individual or group who purchases tickets in groups of 20 or more by the end of the day Wednesday will receive those tickets for $1 each. On the day of the match, tickets will be $7 for general admission while children 12 and under will be admitted for free.
SERIES HISTORY
Overall vs. Grand Canyon | 19-1 (.950)
Streak | NM State won 13
In Las Cruces, N.M. | 9-0 (1.000)
In Phoenix, Ariz. | 7-1 (.875)
At neutral sites | 3-0 (1.000)
Last five matches | 5-0 (1.000)
Last 10 matches | 10-0 (1.000)
In three-set matches
In four-set matches
In five-set matches
Jordan vs. Grand Canyon | 16-1 (.941)
Nollan vs. NM State | 0-11 (.000)
• Outside of a five-set loss to the Lopes back in the 2014 campaign, NM State has handled Grand Canyon in the all-time series which dates back to the 1987 season.
• Of the nine times the Aggies have hosted the Lopes inside the Pan American Center, only two of those matches have gone more than three sets.
LAST TIME OUT | NM State 3, at Chicago State 2 • Thursday, Oct. 7
• One week ago, the Aggies got back to the win column by surviving five-set showdown at Chicago State.
• Shaney Lipscomb finished with 15 kills while Lia Mosher added 13 more on a splendid .524 attacking clip to help NM State move to 18-0 all-time against Chicago State.
• Libero Darian Markham scooped up a match and career-high 32 digs in the Aggies' victory. Those 32 digs represented the third-highest total in a five-set match in the history of NM State volleyball.
• Freshman setter Alana Embry turned in a 10-assist, 11-dig double-double and was the only Aggie who posted a double-double.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
• After a three-match absence, NM State head coach Mike Jordan returns to the bench Thursday evening. The longtime Aggie bench boss tested positive for COVID-19 on September 29 and sat out from all team-related activities as a result until earlier this week.
• NM State sits atop the WAC's West Division standings with nine regular-season league matches remaining. A group of teams - Dixie State, Grand Canyon and Utah Valley - trail the Aggies by one match for the top spot.
• Since the start of the 2015 season, NM State has posted a record of 38-3 (.927) in regular-season WAC matches played inside the Pan American Center.
• The Aggies rank 15th nationally and lead the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.148). Offensively, the Aggies are hitting a collective .250 - a figure which is the best in the WAC as well as the 46th-best in the nation.
• Senior middle blocker Lia Mosher continues to be one of the most efficient offensive players in the country. The Ruidoso, N.M., product ranks sixth nationally with an attack percentage of .460.
• Two of the WAC's top-ten kills per set generators wear NM State colors. Shaney Lipscomb (2.98 kills/set) and Katie Birtcil (2.88 kills/set) rank eighth and 10th in the WAC in kills per set respectively.
• With five kills in the Aggies' win over Chicago State last Thursday, Cat Kelly exceeded the 500-kill mark for her career. Kelly now has 502 terminations to her credit during her tenure with NM State.
• Mosher also eclipsed the 500-kill mark for her career last Thursday night in Chicago. Her 13 kills that night hiked her career total to 505.
WAC ATTACK
• A new-look Western Athletic Conference is making its debut season in the 2021-22 season, and the Aggies are hoping to continue their dominance in the league.
• Now in his 24th season in charge at NM State, head coach Mike Jordan has been nothing short of masterful in league action throughout his tenure. The Aggies' bench boss owns an impressive 283-66 (.811) mark in regular-season WAC showdowns as well as a 30-12 (.714) record in WAC Tournament bouts.
• NM State has been especially effective in racking up all manner of WAC hardware through the last seven seasons. In that span, the Aggies are 85-9 (.904) against league opposition in regular-season tilts and have claimed five regular-season WAC crowns as well as a trio of WAC Tournament titles.
• Since joining the WAC in 2005, NM State has secured seven regular-season titles. All told, Jordan has claimed 11 conference titles since his run in Las Cruces began in 1998.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• After winning eight of their nine matches in non-conference action, the Lopes have taken two of their three setbacks on the year in their five WAC tilts.
• Grand Canyon is hoping to dodge back-to-back losses for the first time this season when it heads to the Pan American Center Thursday evening. Last Saturday in Chicago, Ill., the Lopes dropped a 3-2 decision to Chicago State.
• Second only to NM State among all WAC teams, the Lopes are letting their opponents hit just .162 against them through the season. Much of that has to do with the floor defense of Tegan DeFalco who ranks second in the WAC and 24th nationally with 5.02 digs per set.
• DeFalco also serves as Grand Canyon's - and the WAC's - best threat from the service line. The Lopes' libero possesses a service aces per set average of 0.42 while is the 67th-best nationally.
• Four of the WAC's top 25 players in terms of kills per set sport Grand Canyon uniforms. Leading the way in that category is McKenzie Wise (3.48 kills/set, sixth in the WAC) while Ashley Lifgren (2.41 kills/set, 16th in the WAC), Hannah Eskes (2.26 kills/set, 20th in the WAC) and Annabelle Kubinski (2.21 kills/set, 23rd in the WAC) help shoulder the Lopes' load offensively.
• Though it's DeFalco who is the team's leader from the service line, four other Lopes have double-digit ace totals to their credit. This makes Grand Canyon the WAC's leader in service aces at 1.84 per frame - a figure which is the 25th-best in the land, too.
COMING UP NEXT
• NM State and Grand Canyon put the wraps on their two-match regular season series when the Aggies head to Phoenix Saturday night for a 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Lopes.
++NM State++
