RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Starting off their west coast weekend trip on the right foot, NM State (12-7, 4-3 WAC) upended California Baptist (6-11, 2-5 WAC) in four sets (22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-20).
 
The Aggies got off to a slow start on Thursday night, dropping the first set of the match before storming back to take three straight.
 
"We really put forth a great block effort tonight," mentioned Head Coach Mike Jordan. "We struggled in serve and pass at times to give up too many easy points but we worked hard defensively and the block was a big part of that.
 
Taylor Snow had a career night on the frontline, recording 11 block assists, while Molly Johnson and Katie Birtcil added 15 kills apiece to lead the way. Johnson added five blocks to her stat line while Mosher matched the Michigan State transfer with five blocks of her own. Junior Libero Darian Markham paced the Aggies on the back line, finishing the match with 20 digs.
 
SET ONE
The match began as a see-saw affair with neither side earning more than a two-point cushion through the first 30 points. However, when California Baptist tied the set at 15 points, it would also mark the beginning of a six-point streak for the hometown Lancers.
 
Trailing by five, NM State would manage three-straight points to climb closer. This included a solo block by Lia Mosher that capped off the run. NM State would later trail by just one point (22-23) before CBU was able to put the finishing touches on the set with two consecutive points.
 
SET TWO
Entering the night with a 1-7 record in matches in which they lose the first set, the Aggies would need to turn things around quickly to avoid falling victim to a slow start. Turn things around is just what they did as they put their focus into starting the second frame strong – jumping out to a 6-2 lead once the sides were flipped.
 
NM State would maintain the edge until about the midway point of the first set when CBU tied the score at 10 points apiece.
 
The two sides then traded blows with neither side building larger than a one-point gap until NM State scored two straight to go ahead 18-16. Later, Taylor Snow's third block of the set would come among a four-point Aggie run to give the Crimson & White a five-point cushion as they looked to even the match.
 
A five-point advantage is what the Aggies would finish the set with after a Lancer service error gave the Aggies a 25-20 set win.
 
SET THREE

After opening the third set with a 6-4 lead, the Aggies would allow CBU to score five-straight points. A Lia Mosher kill then kick-started a three-point Aggie run that tied up the set and switched the momentum back in the Aggies' favor.
 
However, California Baptist would throw another haymaker as they rattled off five points while allowing just one Aggie point.
 
NM State quickly responded as a combo block from Lia Mosher and Molly Johnson capped off an identical 5-1 run to tie the score back up at 15 points.
 
Neither side would budge as the scoreboard read 22-22 14 points later before NM State scored three of the final four points to take a very tightly contested set.
 
SET FOUR
Like they had much of the night, the Aggies and the Lancers battled early in set four, coming to a 6-6 draw after 12 total points.
 
Kills by Johnson, Sharp, and Snow as well as Rylee Fay's first service ace of the match put NM State up 11-7, forcing a timeout by California Baptist.
 
Back-to-back points by Birtcil grew the Aggie lead to five points before the Lancers could put an end to the Aggie burst.
 
The home side would show some resistance as it fought back to pull within two points before a Birtcil kill followed by two-straight aces from Markham would push the Aggie lead back to five.
 
The NM State lead would balloon to as much as seven points in the final set before ultimately taking the set 25-20 while collecting its fourth WAC victory of the season.
 
MATCH NOTABLES 

• Taylor Snow etched her name into the NM State record book with her 11-block performance, tying Juliana Salanoa for second most in a four-set match. Both managed to record this feat on the road against the Lancers. This was also Snow's career-best block mark.
• Molly Johnson tallied double-digit kills for the fourth-straight match and eighth time on the season.
• Darian Markham continued her strong play as she finished with 20-plus digs for the fourth time in her last five outings.
• With a team total of 18 blocks on the night, the Aggies marked their best block performance of the season – topping their previous season high of 13.

 
UP NEXT

The Aggies will make the trek from Riverside to Phoenix, colliding with Grand Canyon on Oct. 22. The duel against the Lopes will be an important one as both teams will be jostling for seeding in the upcoming WAC Tournament. NM State and Grand Canyon are currently fifth and sixth in the league standings, respectively.