LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After looking through the net at their teammates for eight months, the Aggies will compete against someone not wearing crimson this weekend.
 
NM State is set to welcome in-state adversary Western New Mexico for an exhibition match with the first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. MT on Saturday, Aug. 20, inside the Pan American Center.
 
PRESEASON PROWESS
The Aggies will head into Saturday's match with high expectations entering the 2022 campaign as they were selected to finish first in the WAC standings according to an announcement made by the conference office on Thursday morning.
 
NM State's preseason recognition did not stop at the team level though, as junior outside hitter Katie Birtcil was selected as the Preseason WAC Player of the Year in addition to earning Preseason All-WAC honors. Joining Birtcil on the list of Preseason All-WAC members is middle blocker Lia Mosher. Although preseason awards often hold little weight, the front-row duo of Birtcil and Mosher has earned the right to be included on the list of preseason award recipients after both claimed First Team All-WAC laurels last season.
 
Similarly, there is a reason that the Aggie squad landed at the top of the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll as it is coming off its third-straight WAC regular season title. Head Coach Mike Jordan led the program to a 10-4 record in league play last season to win the WAC's West Division regular season crown. NM State also posted an overall record of 19-10, including non-conference wins over Northwestern and UC San Diego.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Even faithful Aggie fans might have a tough time making out some of the members of the 2022 Aggie crew with less than half of the team being made up of returners from last year. To be exact, 10 members of the group from a year ago will be taking the court once again for the Aggies.
 
Preseason All-WAC members Birtcil and Mosher are also sure to shine again this season after posting strong numbers one year ago. Birtcil dominated on the corner last season – leading the Aggies in kills per set (3.66) and points per set (4.08) while maintaining a solid .277 hitting percentage. The Tucson, Ariz., native appeared in all 29 games last year while notching 17 starts. She was also on a short list of WAC hitters to finish the year ranked among the top four in kills per set, total points and total kills.
 
Meanwhile, Mosher enters her sixth season with NM State and has already built up some impressive numbers. The middle blocker hailing from Ruidoso, N.M., started all 29 matches for the Aggies last year and finished the year ranked first in the conference in hitting percentage (.399) while ranking third in total points (283.5) and total kills (224).
 
 
In addition to standouts Birtcil and Mosher, the Aggies bring back starter Mari Sharp and important contributors Darian Markham and Alana Embry. Sharp amounted 171 kills a season ago while Markham chipped in a team-best 4.22 digs per set and Embry accounted for 3.34 assists per set.
 
Redshirt freshman Mia Peterson and sophomore Sidney McIntosh also look prepared to have breakout seasons as both shined in the team's Crimson and White scrimmage earlier this week.
 
NIFTY NEWCOMERS
While the Aggie returners have proven to be able to compete and win at a high level, the success of this team might rely on the strength of its 14 newcomers.
 
The additions are more than capable of helping continue the tradition of Aggie greatness as Mike Jordan brought in a group that includes some elite transfers as well as some game-ready freshmen.
 
Atop the list of transfers is former Michigan State outside hitter Molly Johnson. Johnson spent four seasons with the Spartans – appearing in 92 total matches and compiling 473 kills and 212 blocks while in East Lansing, Mich.
 
The Aggies also welcome in Missouri State transfer Rylee Fay, Houston transfer Ryleigh Whitekettle, Iowa transfer Kacia Brown and Blinn College transfer Jayde Shelton.
 
Among the catalog of incoming freshmen, several have shown real promise leading up to the season and could play a big role in this year's rotation. Anji Vishwanathan, Ashley Herman, Morgan Stewart, Taylor Snow, Bianca Perez and Kaylee Peterson are just a few of a long list of first-year Aggies who will put pressure on upperclassmen to perform.
 
TALE OF THE TAPE
Despite the two schools being located just a little over 100 miles apart from each other, this will be the Aggies' first clash with the Mustangs since 1999. Saturday's contest will not count towards the series record, however, NM State has historically dominated the series – losing just once across seven duels.
 
The Aggies first squared off with Western New Mexico on Sept. 23, 1988, in the Mustangs' hometown of Silver City, N.M. In the series opener, a Myles Gabel-led NM State team pulled off a 3-0 sweep. Until the Mustangs' first victory in 1993, the Aggies completely controlled the first five matches – tallying 15 set wins while dropping only a single set. After falling in 1993, the Aggies returned to their winning ways against Western New Mexico with a 3-0 victory on Halloween night in 1999.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
After being limited to just four matches in the spring of 2021, the Mustangs posted a 4-22 overall record last fall, including finishing 1-11 in conference play.
 
The Mustangs are led by someone who is very familiar with the Aggies in former UTEP Head Coach Holly Watts. Watts enters her fourth year with the Western New Mexico program and boasts over 25 years of coaching experience, including time spent with Arkansas and Florida State.
 
The Western New Mexico roster features just two student-athletes from the state of New Mexico, however, the Mustangs are still scattered with regional talent as four athletes hail from El Paso, Texas.
 
Fans attending Saturday's exhibition match should also make note of senior outside hitter Bria Augustine. The Bellflower, Calif., native was named Lone Star Conference Second Team All-Conference in an announcement made on Wednesday. Last season, Augustine led the team in total kills (286) and total digs (258).
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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Although the match will not be streamed live, fans unable to attend can track the happenings via StatBroadcast.