Match 16
NM State (9-6, 2-2 WAC) at Sam Houston (6-13, 3-2 WAC)
Saturday, Oct. 8 | Noon MT | Johnson Coliseum (6,100)
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NM State Match Notes
First Serve
• The Aggies will begin their two-game Texas road swing with a contest against Sam Houston on Saturday as they make their first trip to Huntsville, Texas, in program history.
• NM State will look to right the ship after falling at home to Utah Tech last Saturday.
Weekend Notes
• After NM State had limited opponents to sub-.200 hitting percentages in four-straight matches, Utah Tech was able to post a .303 hitting percentage against the Aggies on Saturday. This marked just the second time a team has done so against Mike Jordan's squad this season.
• In the loss, the Aggies were also limited to a .155 hitting percentage, however, most of that was self-inflicted as they committed 29 attack errors and 13 service errors - the most this season in both categories.
• Despite the offensive woes, the Aggies did get a burst from sophomore outside hitter Sidney McIntosh who tallied a career-high 10 kills on just 19 swings.
• On the back end, Darian Markham reached 20-plus digs for the third time this season with 21 total.
• Rylee Fay's performance from the setter position was also a bright spot as she eclipsed 30 assists for the second consecutive match - finishing with 32 after posting a career-high 35 in her previous outing.
• Currently, both Lia Mosher and Rylee Fay are among the best in the WAC as Mosher continues to lead the conference in hitting percentage (.376) and Fay paces the league in service aces per set (0.65). Fay also ranks eighth in the country in aces per set.
• In addition to her dominance this season, Lia Mosher continues to move up the all-time ranks in program history. The sixth-year senior currently sits in fifth all-time in Aggie history in both total blocks (420) and block assists (351) while she ranks 10th in solo blocks (69). She also ranks second all-time in career hitting percentage at .349.
• Meanwhile, Katie Birtcil's mark of 3.58 kills per set is good for second in the WAC and Darian Markham's 4.48 digs per set average ranks fourth in the conference.=
• As a team, the Aggies are currently holding opponents to a .185 combined hitting percentage - a mark that is good for third in the conference.
• The Aggies also rank third in the league in assists (11.98), kills (12.94) and aces per set (1.70).
• With yet another seven-ace outing against the Thunderbirds last Thursday, Fay is the only server in the country to achieve seven or more aces in multiple four-set contests.
Keep Up with the Aggies
Fans looking to tune in to this weekend's matches will be able to do so for free via WAC International at WACInternational.tv.
Live stats will also be available to fans this weekend via StatBroadcast at this link: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=nmst.
Scouting Sam Houston
• After finishing last season with an 18-10 overall record and a 10-3 record in WAC play, the Bearkats have had a rough first half of the season as they enter Saturday with 6-13 overall record and a 3-2 record against league opponents.
• Brenda Gray's team has looked stronger since entering WAC play and are currently 3-1 in their last four matches with their lone loss coming in four sets against UT Rio Grande Valley.
• Offensively, Catherine Krieger paces the Trailblazers in kills per set - averaging 2.96. Meanwhile, Analise Lucio and Avery Fowler do the heavy lifting from the setter position as Lucio averages a team-best 4.65 assists per set while Fowler records 4.26 assists per set.
• In the Aggies' program history, they have met the Bearkats four times and are currently an even 2-2 against SHSU. The two sides first met in 1982 when the two collided at the Lamar Invitational in Beaumont, Texas.
• Sam Houston did get the best of the Aggies in their most recent matchup when the two programs faced off in Phoenix, Ariz., during last year's WAC season.
Up Next
Following Saturday's contest against the Bearkats, the Aggies will continue WAC play with a road contest against UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday, Oct. 10. The match against the Vaqueros is set to get underway at 5:30 MT.
The Aggies will then return home for a non-conference meeting against former WAC foe Chicago State on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The match against the Cougars is set to begin a 6 p.m.
