First Serve
• NM State will compete in its 18th and final WAC Tournament in this weekend as they open their quest for a sixth tournament title with a match against third-seeded Grand Canyon on Thursday morning.
 
• The Aggies enter the week holding the fourth-highest win percentage in WAC Tournament history (.647) while also posting the second-most wins (22) in tournament history behind only Hawaii who ended their tenure with the WAC with a 36-3 all-time record.
 
• This will mark just the first time since 2012 that the Aggies will appear in the WAC Tournament without earning one of the top two seeds. The six seed is also the lowest seed any Aggie team has claimed in WAC Tournament history.
 
Last Time Out | NM State 3, Abilene Christian 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-20)
• NM State entered the day knowing a win would put them in the 2022 WAC Tournament field. With that in mind, the Aggies left no doubts as they swept Abilene Christian in their home finale.
 
• On senior day, the Aggies were led by a trio of seniors, highlighted by a 10-kill effort from Katie Birtcil. Birtcil also posted a .471 hitting percentage to finish the day with her most efficient performance of the season.
 
• Graduate transfer Molly Johnson also finished with a solid afternoon in her final home game as an Aggie – finishing with eight kills and six digs.
 
• Lia Mosher matched Johnson's kill output while also compiling five total blocks against the Wildcats. Setter Rylee Fay also impacted the game with her production as she finished with 22 of the Aggies' 36 assists.
 
• The sweep marked the second of the weekend and the eighth of the season for the Aggies.
 
Cream of the Conference Crop
• Rylee Fay finished the season among the best in the WAC in a pair of categories as she paces the league in service aces per set (0.53) while ranking ninth in assists per set (6.52) entering the tournament.
 
• Meanwhile, Mosher also concluded the regular season with the highest hitting percentage in the WAC for the second-straight season - hitting a .361 clip.
 
• The attack of Katie Birtcil was also one of the most effective in the league this season as she ranked seventh in kills per set at 3.20 across 91 sets on the season. The do-it-all outside hitter also ranks eighth in points per set (3.55).
 
• Leading the Aggies' defense, Darian Markham tallied the fourth-most digs per set among league Liberos at 4.33.
 
• As a team, the Aggies enter the postseason holding opponents to a .184 combined hitting percentage - a mark that is good for second-best in the conference.
 
• Also, the Aggies rank third in the league in assists (12.07) and fourth in kills (13.03) as a team.
 
Leaderboard Lia
• 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 fourth all-time in Aggie history in both total blocks (463) and third in block assists (384) while she ranks ninth in solo blocks (79). She also ranks second all-time in career hitting percentage at .349.
 
Johnson Breaks 30-Year-Old Record
Earlier this month, Molly Johnson posted 37 total kills against Seattle U to surpass a single-match program record for kill in a match that stood for over 30 years. Previously, Vanessa White held the record with 35 kills in five sets against UTEP on August 31, 1991.
 
Markham Better Than Most
Now in her third season with the Crimson & White, Darian Markham has tallied 1049 digs across 254 sets to average 4.13 digs per set during her career with the Aggies. With that, the junior from McKinney, Texas, currently sits in second all-time in digs per set in Aggie history.
 
The 'A' in Fay Stands for Ace
• The sophomore setter from Iowa City, Iowa is quickly putting together one of the best seasons in program history from the service line. She is currently responsible for 50 of the Aggies' 144 aces on the season - a mark that places her in fourth all-time in the Aggie record books for aces in a single season and makes her one of just four Aggies to ever reach the 50-ace threshold in program history.
 
• From an individual match perspective, Fay put together two of the best performances by anyone to wear the Crimson & White. On Sept. 2, Fay recorded seven aces in a four-set win over North Carolina A&T to put herself in a tie for the most by any Aggie in a four-set match.
 
• Later in the season, Fay would equal that feat by notching seven aces in a four-set win over Southern Utah. With that seven-ace outing against the Trailblazers, Fay is the only server in the country to achieve seven or more aces in multiple four-set contests.
 
• Fay also prides herself as one of the most consistent servers in the country as she ranks 12th among all Division I servers in aces per set at 0.54.
 
Defending Our Side in Riverside
• Taylor Snow's 11-block outing against the Lancers put her in elite company as the single-match total places her in a tie for second-most in program history in a four-set match. The last time an Aggie recorded such numbers? Julianna Salanoa on Oct. 7, 2019, who also engineered an 11-block performance on the road against the Lancers.
 
• The dominant defensive showing from the Aggies also produced the most blocks by any Aggie team since NM State traveled to Riverside and collected 17 blocks against the Lancers in October of 2019.
 
Keep Up with the Aggies
• Fans in the United States looking to watch the Aggies' matches during their run in the WAC Tournament can do so via ESPN+.
 
• Live stats will also be available to fans this weekend via StatBroadcast at NMStateStats.com.
 
• For complete coverage of NM State volleyball, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Volleyball), Twitter (@NMStateVB) and Instagram (@NMStateVB).
 
History Versus Grand Canyon
• Despite Grand Canyon earning wins over the Aggies in the previous two meetings, NM State still dominates the series - winning 20 of the 23 matchups.
 
• NM State also owns a win in the only head-to-head contest in the WAC Tournament between the two programs when the Aggies swept the Lopes in the 2019 WAC Tournament in Orem, Utah.
 
• Including the three-set win in 2019, the Aggies have swept Grand Canyon in 13 of their 20 victories.