Aggies Emerge Victorious in Straight Sets Against SFA
Birtcil punishes Ladyjacks with 22-kill assault
 
PHOENIX - The division leading Aggies and Ladyjacks met for a duel in the desert at GCU Arena. Led by Katie Birtcil and her game high 22 kills, NM State earned a 3-0 victory on Thursday night, cementing their status atop the West Division.
 
SET ONE | NM STATE 25, SFA 19
 

• The Aggies stormed out of the gate building up a 6-1 advantage with Cat Kelly heading the attack. Kelly posted three early kills and Darian Markham recorded a service ace.
• SFA was able to rally from their slow start, eventually cutting the NM State lead to 20-18 before the Aggies regained their composure and finished off the set with a 5-1 rally.
• Lia Mosher led the way for the Aggie defense, recording a pair of blocks and helping hold the Ladyjack attack to a .128 hitting clip in the first set.
• Katie Birtcil roared to life in the second half of the set, ending with a set-high seven kills on a .412 hitting percentage.

 
SET TWO | NM STATE 25, SFA 20
 

• The Ladyjacks got off to a much stronger start in the second set, keeping pace with the Aggies before NM State pulled away with a 7-2 run to grow their advantage to break open the set.
• The Aggies ran into trouble in the middle of the set, watching their lead slowly fade to a 21-20 advantage thanks to an 11-5 SFA run.
• NM State ended the Ladyjack rally with a 4-0 rally of their own, taking the set 25-20
• Birtcil and Mari Sharp led the way for the Aggies in the second set, finishing with 14 and nine kills respectively after two sets.
• Mosher added another block along with a pair of kills, while Lauryn Taylor and Darian Markham combined for a pair of service aces.

 
SET THREE | NM STATE 25, SFA 15
 

• The third set started off as a back and forth affair, with the Aggies holding a 3-2 advantage early.
• Following the slow start, the Aggies took control of the match and ended the decisive third set on an 8-3 run led by Birtcil and Kelly.
• The stingy NM State defense held the Ladyjacks to a .036 hitting clip in the third set, helped by a Shaney Lipscomb block.
• The Ladyjacks were plagued by attacking errors in the third set, giving away six points to the Aggies.

 
 
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
 

• Katie Birtcil (22) and Mari Sharp (10) led the way for the Aggie attack, posting double digit kills.
• Carly Aigner-Swesey's hot streak continued, posting her fourth double-double in five games with 45 assists and 14 digs, adding a block to round out her stat line on the night.
• The Aggie front-row defense held strong against the SFA offense, holding the Ladyjacks to a .140 match hitting percentage, well below their .241 season average.
• Leah Powell (9 kills) and Ielan Bradley (7 kills) led the way for the Ladyjacks attack, while Kodi Garcia (13 assists) and Alyssa Ortega (12 digs) led the way in their respective categories.
• The Aggies improved their all-time record against SFA to 2-1, though this is the first meeting between the schools as conference foes.

 
QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH MIKE JORDAN
"We played reasonably well against a solid team. We were solid passing and attacking it. Carly's setting and playing really well. We can serve it better but it was a good team win.
 
COMING UP NEXT

• NM State has a quick turnaround for their next WAC contest, returning to GCU Arena tomorrow evening to take on the Sam Houston Bearkats at 6:00 p.m.