LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Normal would be the word least likely used to describe the previous 24 hours for the NM State volleyball team.
Fortunately, the Aggies regained a semblance of normalcy Thursday night with the thing that has been a constant for the program - a Western Athletic Conference victory.
With head coach Mike Jordan out of commission after testing positive for COVID-19, NM State shuffled things around on the bench and used stretches of strong play to secure a 3-0 victory over Seattle U.
]SET ONE | NM State 25, Seattle U 22
• A lead was a difficult commodity to come by for the Aggies early on in the opening set. Seattle U opened up leads of four points on two separate occasions before NM State found its footing on offense.
• After Seattle U thundered down one of its 12 kills in the set, Katie Birtcil committed an attack error to put the hosts at a 15-11 disadvantage. Beginning with a termination courtesy of Birtcil, the Aggies took off on an 8-1 run to wrest control away from the Redhawks.
• NM State picked up its first lead of the match when freshman setter Alana Embry dumped over her second kill of the night to make matters 16-15. One of the Redhawks' eight attack errors in the set closed out the Aggies' set-changing surge and hiked the hosts' lead to 19-16.
• Though Seattle U closed to within one point, 22-21, a termination from Birtcil coupled with a pair of attack errors by the Redhawks' Sam Hayward powered a 3-1 NM State run to close out the set.
• Helping the Redhawks grab the upper hand for a brief period of time were three of the Aggies' five service errors in the match.
SET TWO | NM State 25, Seattle U 18
• With their offense clicking, the Aggies proceeded to make up for lost time. Three terminations courtesy of Mari Sharp and one each from Birtcil, Lindsay Blakey and Cat Kelly represented much of the Aggies' 9-2 run to begin the middle frame.
• Showing no signs of letting up, NM State lead ballooned to 21-8 following a 7-1 spurt at the midway point of the frame. Shaney Lipscomb hammered down a pair of kills while Blakey and Sharp contributed one each through the scoring spree.
• Prolonging the start of the third set, Seattle U took off on a 10-3 run after the Aggies opened up their 13-point edge. The Redhawks' scoring spurt only delayed the inevitable, though, as the visitors' only service error of the set provided the set-clinching points for the WAC's finest.
• In all, 18 of the Aggies' 49 kills came during the middle frame. NM State hit .308 in the set and limited the Redhawks to an attacking clip of .188.
SET THREE | NM State 25, Seattle U 20
• As the Aggies tried to replicate their hot-hitting ways, Lipscomb and Lia Mosher pounded down two kills each through a 9-3 NM State start to the deciding frame.
• Seattle U's response came in the form of an 8-1 run. Trailing 11-6, the Redhawks took their first lead since the opening set thanks in part to four unforced attack errors by the Aggies.
• Trailing 14-12, NM State won five of the next six points to regain the lead for good. Seattle U committed a service error as well as two attack errors during the run.
• The Redhawks knotted the match one last time when a kill and an NM State ball handling error made things 17-all.
• Fortunately, NM State made all the right moves down the stretch. Lipscomb struck for three kills and teamed up with Mosher for the last of their team's 5.0 blocks on the night as part of an 8-3 Aggie run to wrap up the match.
• NM State's defense played its best set of the night in the third, limiting the Redhawks to an attack percentage of only .098 in the frame.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• NM State captured its ninth-straight win, hiking its WAC-leading win total to 12 matches.
• The Aggies also moved their WAC record to 3-0, making them the league's only team with a trio of conference triumphs thus far.
• NM State extended its winning streak over Seattle U to 14 matches. The Aggies have now won 21-straight sets against the Redhawks dating back to Sept. 27, 2018.
• Lipscomb (11 kills) and Birtcil (10 kills) powered the Aggies' offense, with neither hitting below .300 on the night. Sharp added eight kills while Blakey and Mosher chipped in seven apiece. Lipscomb finished the night with a match-best hitting percentage of .471.
• Embry turned in a good all-around match, finishing with a double-double consisting of 16 assists and 10 digs. Carly Aigner-Swesey dished out a match-leading 22 assists and added one of the Aggies' three service aces.
• Eve Kerschenbaum helped Seattle U try to keep pace with the Aggies, striking for a team-best 10 kills.
COMING UP NEXT
• NM State puts the finishing touches on its two-match WAC homestand Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. by hosting California Baptist.
++NM State++
