First Serve
• After falling in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament, NM State will put a bow on the 2022 campaign as they travel to El Paso for the 91st all-time meeting between the Aggies and Miners.
• The Aggies are 64-25-1 in matches versus UTEP in their history and have won eight of the last 10.
• Following a six-year tenure at NM State under Head Coach
Mike Jordan, This will mark the fourth time that UTEP Head Coach Ben Wallis will lead the Miners against the Aggies.
Last Time Out | Grand Canyon 3, NM State 0 (31-29, 25-20, 25-20)
• The Aggies' postseason hopes came to a close in south Texas on Thursday morning as they fell in three sets to third-seeded Grand Canyon.
• NM State was led on the offensive side by a pair of first-year Aggies as both
Molly Johnson and
Jayde Shelton finished the match with nine kills.
• Shelton was also one of four Aggies to finish the match with two block assists – joined by
Taylor Snow,
Lia Mosher and
Ryleigh Whitekettle.
•
Darian Markham led the Aggies on the back row, finishing with 19 digs. Johnson also reached double-digit dig territory as she posted 10 digs.
• The Aggies did manage to out-block and out-dig the Lopes in the match, however, NM State finished the set hitting a .188 clip while GCU posted a .238 hitting percentage.
• For just the third time this season, NM State finished without at least one hitter reaching double-digit kills.
• The opening set of was not only the longest set the Aggies have played in all season, but it was the longest set in the WAC Tournament since 2007 when sets were still played to 30 points.
• NM State did most of its damage on first-ball attacks as 25 of its 42 kills came with no return.
• The Aggies had their fair share of opportunity on Thursday morning, finishing with a season-high in attacks during a three-set match at 128.
Cream of the Conference Crop
• Following the tournament,
Rylee Fay still ranks among the best in the WAC in a pair of categories as she paces the league in service aces per set (0.52) while ranking ninth in assists per set (6.48) 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. She now ranks second with a .357 hitting percentage.
• The attack of
Katie Birtcil was also one of the most effective in the league this season as she ranks eighth in kills per set at 3.16 across 94 sets on the season. The do-it-all outside hitter also ranks eighth in points per set (3.50).
• Leading the Aggies' defense,
Darian Markham tallied the fourth-most digs per set among league Liberos at 4.39.
• As a team, the Aggies are holding opponents to a .186 combined hitting percentage - a mark that is good for third-best in the conference.
• Also, the Aggies rank third in the league in assists (12.12) and fourth in kills (13.06) 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 third all-time in Aggie history in both total blocks (465) and third in block assists (386) while she ranks ninth in solo blocks (79). She also ranks second all-time in career hitting percentage at .348.
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 1068 digs across 257 sets to average 4.16 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 put together one of the best seasons in program history from the service line. She is currently responsible for 50 of the Aggies' 145 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 looking to tune in to the Aggies' final match of the 2022 season can do so via CUSA.tv.
• Live stats will also be available to fans this weekend via SideArm Stats at https://utepminers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary.
• 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 UTEP
• Since first colliding with the Miners in 1974, the Aggies have dominated the 48-year rivalry, winning 64 of the first 90 matchups.
• Despite the dominant success the Aggies have exemplified across time, UTEP has gotten the best of the Aggies in the most recent two meetings - defeating the Aggies in five sets in both 2021 tilts.
• Prior to falling in a pair of tightly contested matches in 2021, the Aggies had defeated the Miners nine straight times, including six of which ended after just three sets.
• In matches that have taken place in El Paso, Texas, the Aggies are 26-13 all-time against UTEP and have won four of the last five.
• Lastly, since taking over the program in 1998,
Mike Jordan has led NM State to 30 wins in 39 matchups against UTEP.
