TUCSON, Ariz. – The New Mexico State volleyball team erased a two-set deficit and stormed back to win its season opener, 22-25, 16-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10, against UC San Diego at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday afternoon. The Tritons received eight votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
"We were on the struggle bus to start the match and it was hard to watch," said head coach Mike Jordan. "We made some adjustments that helped and of course I'm glad we got away with a win but we certainly need to do some things a lot better going forward. Shaney [Lipscomb] was a bright spot."
 
The Aggies (1-0, 0-0 WAC) struggled to find their rhythm in the first two sets allowing the Tritons to take a 2-0 advantage into the third set. However, that all changed in the third set as the Aggies stole the momentum from UCSD.
 
With the third set tied at 16, the Aggies came alive. Freshman Alana Embry served up an ace that sparked a 9-3 run to give NM State the 25-19 win in set three. AVCA All-Region honoree Lia Mosher closed the set out, scoring the Aggies last three points in the third, all on kills from the middle.
 
After staying alive with a win in the third set, NM State found itself behind 7-1 in the fourth. However, the block came alive for the Aggies as they clawed back to take a 16-15 lead midway through the set. Then, the Tritons tied the set at 18 before a Katie Birtcil kill propelled NM State on a 7-2 run to take set four 25-20.
 
NM State got off to a strong start in the fifth set, leading 4-1 after the first five points. Although, UCSD would respond in kind and tie the match at eight. But as they had done in the previous two sets, the Aggies closed out the Tritons with a huge run, 7-2, to cap the comeback victory.
 
Shaney Lipscomb led the way for NM State, hitting a scorching .552 with a career-high 17 kills on 29 swings to go with four blocks. Birtcil also shined for the Aggies, finishing with 14 kills while Mosher added five blocks. Setter Carly Aigner-Swesey notched 31 assists on the evening as freshman setter Alana Embry finished with 21 in her first collegiate action. Libero Darian Markham led NM State with 22 digs. 
 
As a team, the Aggies hit .196 but held UC San Diego to just .116 hitting, forcing 35 attack errors.
 
NM State now has a quick turnaround, matching up with tournament host Arizona later today, Aug. 27, at 7:30 p.m. (MDT). Fans can stream all the action live, and for free, on the Pac-12 Network.