LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's volleyball opens its season at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz., from Aug. 27-28 at the McKale Center. NM State gets the Cactus Classic underway with a match against UC San Diego at 1:30 p.m. (MT) on Aug. 27 followed by match with host Arizona on the same day at 7:30. The Aggies wrap up the tournament against Marist on Aug. 28 at noon.
 
Where to Watch
 All of this weekend's action can be streamed live on the Pac-12 Network.
 
Follow Along
Fans unable to watch the matches can keep up with live stats thanks to StatBroadcast.
 
Aggie Notes
• The Aggies won their second-straight WAC Regular Season Championship during the Spring 2021 season and fifth in the last six years behind a 15-1 regular season record.
 
• Head coach Mike Jordan won his 500th match with a sweep of California Baptist on Feb. 22.   
 
• NM State ranked seventh nationally with a .295 hitting percentage and second in both kills per set (15.05) and assists per set (13.93). The Aggies also ranked 13^th in opponent hitting percentage (.130).
 
• The Aggies were one of just two squads to rank in the top-15 in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage, joined by Dayton.
 
• Middle blocker Lia Mosher was named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region team, making her the 10^th All-Region honoree coached by Jordan. Her .420 hitting percentage ranks second for a single season in program history.
 
• Mosher was also named First Team All-WAC while Victoria Barrett was named WAC Freshman of the Year following the spring 2021 season. Barrett and Shaney Lipscomb were both named Second Team All-WAC with Barrett and Darian Markham earning All-Freshman team honors.
 
• On March 3, Lipscomb became the only player in the NCAA to hit 1.000 on 14 or more swings with 14 kills and 14 attempts against Seattle U. Only three players in NCAA history have had a better hitting day, with three former student-athletes hitting 15 kills on 15 swings.
 
• In the same game, NM State set a school record and put together the second most efficient match in the NCAA, hitting .554 against the Redhawks.
 
• Four Aggies were named Preseason All-WAC, the most for any school in the conference. Mosher, Barrett and Lipscomb were joined by setter Carly Aigner-Swesey on the WAC's Preseason All-Conference Squad.
 
• NM State returns three of the top-10 most efficient offensive players in terms of hitting percentage in the WAC with Mosher (.420), Lipscomb (.320) and Katie Birtcil (.308) all returning for the Crimson and White.
  
Scouting the Wildcats
Arizona is coming off a 10-11 season in which they finished 10-11 in a loaded Pac-12. The Wildcats have been 20 NCAA tournaments under current head coach Dave Rubio who has a 537-349 record as the bench boss in Tucson. Arizona received eight votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches poll.
 
Returning for the Wildcats is sophomore outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz who impressed in her first season with the Wildcats. Maldonado Diaz was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year as well as the AVCA Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year as she posted 3.63 kills per set on .212 hitting.
 
A Look at UC San Diego
The Tritons are set to play their first-ever match as a Division I program against the Aggies on Aug. 27 after the Big West Conference canceled competition last season. The season prior, the Tritons finished 18-9 and earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Like Arizona, UCSD also earned eight votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll. The Tritons were picked to finish seventh in the 11-team Big West.
 
Scouting the Red Foxes
Marist heads to the Cactus Classic after a 1-3 record during an abbreviated 2020-21 season. In their last full season, the Red Foxes finished 15-15 overall with a 12-6 record in MAAC play including a trip to the conference semifinals where they lost to Fairfield. This season, the MAAC's coaches picked Marist to finish fifth in the league.
 
Up Next
The Aggies return home to host the Springhill Suites Invitational beginning with two matches on Friday, Sept. 3, inside the Pan American Center. NM State opens the Springhill Suites Invitational against Northwestern at 10 a.m. (MT) on Sept. 3, followed by a match against Arizona later that day at 7 p.m.